Скачать или смотреть Reef Manta Rays in Raja Ampat; amazing barrel rolls and feeding - The SEA People

More Manta Ray antics (mantics?) in Raja Ampat... featuring the barrel roll!

Barrel rolling looks alot like backflipping, but it is actually a feeding technique used by manta rays. Mantas feed alone or in aggregations; when the incoming current is strong, they come close to the surface and unfold their cephalic fins to funnel the plankton into their wide-open mouths, sometimes they even feed in 'trains', with one manta closely following another.

However, when the current is not as strong, mantas will “barrel roll”, which is basically a backflip with mouths wide open and cephalic lobes unfurled to direct the stream of plankton in. Barrel rolling assist the mantas rays in feeding efficiency, and is also a method for concentrating the plankton into even smaller clusters.

These video shows very clearly the barrel roll... much to our delight these mantas were very happy to show off this feeding technique (repeatedly) for the camera!

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