Reef manta ray
Mobula alfredi
Sighting evidence at South Atoll, Tubbataha Reefs
Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC
Reef manta rays visit the South Atoll's cleaning stations consistently throughout the liveaboard season, arriving in the morning when current flows along the eastern rim. Individual mantas are identifiable by their unique belly spot patterns and are part of a population studied by researchers who tag and photograph them at Tubbataha. Cleaning behaviour — hovering motionless while small fish remove parasites from gill slits and skin — is one of the most intimate wildlife interactions available to divers anywhere. Vulnerable to extinction due to targeted fishing for gill plates used in traditional medicine.
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.