I already know a fair bit about the way they work (or as much as I can find as the Manta Ray is a very mysterious species and a lot is still unknown about it).
Manta's are quite outgoing and curious as sea creatures come and they are very inquisitive and forward when it comes to humans. Mantas will often follow humans around in waters and there is evidence of them recognising individuals and building real relationships with humans.
Despite their size (which can be up to 25foot wide), the Manta Ray is completely harmless in every way. They are basically big gentle giants.
They have some tiny tiny teeth but they have never seen being used and there are some theories about them being to do with mating rituals.
They live for probably about 30 years based on their size and information about their closely related species and feed on algae and stuff in the water.
The move relatively slowly through the waters because they are constantly feeding and moving and need to save their energy which they can store and use tiny aounts of without having to replenish it for ages although they can move quite fast if they have to and can jump clean out of the water; Sometimes these massive rays can jump on passing boats and cause a lot of damage, often causing them themselves to die because their weight creates a massive impact.
Because they are slow and have no defenses at all (Unlike some of their close relatives they don't have a stinger) they are very vulnerable to attack from predators.
Their only real predators are Orcas, Sharks and as with everything Humans.
We kill Mantas quite regularly, I think most especially around the Gulf of Mexico as this is a good environment for them to live in.
As I understand it there has been some recent law changing which has made it a pretty serious criminal offence to kill Manta rays. This is good news although I have read a few criticisms saying effectively saying that the laws are not being properly enforced as a result of funding or staffing or something.
Either way, Manta Rays are still dying and people are getting away with it.
The most common occurrance for death seems to be accidental catching in nets. This may either kill them from some kind of strangling or pressure or damage their bodies which can be really prone to infection or they will often be raised out of the water when caught, harpooned or speared and then thrown back into the water to dispose of the body.
This is a pretty merciless killing and totally unnecessary.
Manta rays can be killed needlessly for sport or trophy.
They can also be killed by big ships and boats as technology keeps making them larger and faster.
I can imagine that the BP oil spill is probably not doing wonders for the Manta Ray welfare.
Mantas can also be specifically hunted as a kind of novelty food. Manta Ray meat can be served from restaurants to fast food and is well known for being used at Taco stands as a result of dwindling shark populations.
Humans undeniably have the most ways to kill Manta Rays and in fact are their biggest predators.
Just to make it clear, it is entirely illegal to kill a Manta in any of these ways.
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