Giant Devil Ray

The Giant Devil Ray is the largest and most impressive ray found in the Mediterranean Sea. It belongs to the Mobulidae family and is a close relative of the giant manta rays found in the world's oceans. It is a pelagic species with a massive diamond-shaped body and a very long, thin, whip-like tail that bears a small stinging spine at its base. The colour on the back is a very dark blue or black, while the underside is pure white.

Its name comes from the two characteristic cephalic fins that protrude from the front of its head and resemble horns. When the animal is swimming, these fins are rolled into spirals. During feeding, the ray unfurls them to direct food-rich water toward its mouth.

It lives in the open sea, far from the coast, although it occasionally approaches shallow waters. It prefers the warm, temperate waters of the Mediterranean and rarely descends to great depths, usually remaining at the surface or in midwater layers. It is the only species of its genus that lives permanently in the Mediterranean basin.

Despite its intimidating name and size, it is a peaceful giant that feeds exclusively on zooplankton. It swims slowly with its mouth open, filtering large volumes of water to trap microscopic crustaceans such as krill and copepods, and rarely very small surface fish.

The species is ovoviviparous with a very slow reproductive rate. Pregnancy lasts for a long time and likely more than one year, while the female usually gives birth to a single pup, which is already massive at birth with a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres. This extremely low reproductive rate makes the animal exceptionally vulnerable to population decline.

It is not a target of commercial fisheries and has no commercial value because its meat is considered of poor quality. However, it is a frequent victim of accidental capture as it is trapped in large nets and longlines intended for tuna and swordfish.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the Giant Devil Ray as Endangered globally and Critically Endangered within the Mediterranean. Its populations have declined dramatically due to accidental mortality in fishing gear. Scientific studies have shown that it often performs impressive leaps out of the water, which is a behaviour believed to be linked to communication or the removal of parasites. Genetic studies in 2017 showed that the ocean species Mobula japanica is in fact the same species, so the Giant Devil Ray lives in all warm oceans. The Mediterranean population, however, remains small and threatened.