Family: Mobulidae, Mantas view all from this family

Description To 22' (6.7 m) wide. Disc about twice as broad as long; upper surface varying from reddish to olive-brown to black, paler on edges. Shoulders uniform in color or with white patches or series of dark spots across them; lower surface blotched slate-gray or black. Cephalic fins large, widely set, forward-directed, and hornlike; mouth terminal, teeth only in lower jaw. Pectoral fins falcate. Tail relatively short; no spine at base.

Habitat Offshore in deep water to within few miles of land.

Range From North Carolina south to Brazil; occasionally to New England. Common in Bermuda and Gulf of Mexico.

Discussion Mantas are pelagic and are only seen when leaping out of the water or basking on the surface. The cephalic fins are used for steering and to direct food into the mouth. Regardless of their size, mantas are harmless to man.