Vulnerable· population decreasing· assessed 2022

Mobula ray

Mobula munkiana

Sighting evidence at El Bajo Seamount, Sea of Cortez

Munk's devil ray is the most common mobula species in the Sea of Cortez and aggregates in massive schools at El Bajo each summer. Schools of tens of thousands of individuals have been documented circling the seamounts in dense spiraling formations for unknown reasons — theories include feeding, mating aggregation, and parasite removal. Unlike manta rays they do not visit cleaning stations; the seamount aggregation behavior is still not fully understood.

Evidence at this site

No confirmed records on file at this site

Mobula ray is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Mobula ray

Evidence at this site

Also seen at other sites