Reef manta ray
Mobula alfredi
Sighting evidence at Black Rock Cook Islands, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC
Reef manta rays are filter feeders that target dense zooplankton and fish spawn aggregations, which concentrate along current-exposed headlands like Black Rock. Unlike oceanic mantas, reef mantas have defined home ranges and return to the same cleaning stations and feeding grounds year after year. Rarotonga's northwest coast is one of the most accessible manta encounters in the Cook Islands, reliably active from August through November when upwelling is strongest.
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.