Devil Ray
Mobula mobular
Sighting evidence at Whale Shark Alley, Saint Helena Island
Photo: guillaume_papuga · CC BY-NC
Giant devil rays appear alongside the whale sharks during peak plankton bloom periods, barrel-rolling and breaching in spectacular leaps that are audible from the dive boat before they are visible. They feed cooperatively in formation, driving zooplankton into denser concentrations before making repeated filter-feeding passes, a behaviour that brings them within metres of snorkellers and divers. As a critically endangered mobulid species, the Saint Helena population has attracted international research attention as a potential key aggregation site that urgently needs formal protection.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Devil Ray is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.