Two Smoothtail mobulas, Mobula thurstoni (aka Smooth-tailed Mobula Rays), breaching out of the Sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico.
Mobula Rays (there are nine species) are, despite physical appearances, closely related to sharks. These fish are shy and don’t interact with divers, so there is still lots to be discovered about them.
They are filter-feeders meaning they strain their food (plankton) through their mouths. They also form large shoals, such as the one I saw in Baja, where they were jumping all around the boat, but it was difficult to predict where they would be jumping.
Smoothtail mobulas, and the other Mobula Ray species, as well as the Eagle Rays, can jump up to two metres out of the water (then hit the water with a thudding belly-flop), but scientists still don’t know why. The most likely explanation is that it’s a form of communication.
This photo is copyright © Liz Leyden. All rights strictly as agreed in writing with the author or her agent.
My Mobulas Jumping photo is available to purchase as a Royalty-free stock photo from iStock and also from GettyImages.
