Reef Manta Ray
Mobula alfredi
Sighting evidence at Quilalea Private Island Reef, Quirimbas Archipelago
Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC
Reef manta rays visit Quilalea's cleaning stations between May and October, hovering motionless over coral heads while wrasse and small reef fish remove parasites from their gill plates and skin. These cleaning interactions can last 20 to 30 minutes and allow extraordinary close-range observation of the mantas' behaviour and social dynamics, including queue formation when multiple individuals wait their turn at the same station. Quilalea's manta sighting rate during peak season is among the highest of any site in northern Mozambique, a consequence of the reef's thriving cleaning station ecology driven by its high fish diversity.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Reef Manta Ray is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.