Oct 18, 2023
Inktober 2023
Day 17: Demon
Mobula mobular, Giant Devil Ray
seen from Costa Rica
seen from United States
seen from Iraq
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Portugal
seen from Singapore
seen from Russia
seen from Singapore
seen from China
seen from T1
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Finland
seen from Australia
seen from Denmark
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
Inktober 2023
Day 17: Demon
Mobula mobular, Giant Devil Ray
Mobula mobular by sarah faulwetter
Sonnet au diable des mers
Sous la mer, près du ciel
Du bleu et de l'iode
Près du fond, loin du fiel
Des hommes, de leurs codes
Doucement tu tournoies
Lentement près de moi
Tu avance et tu vis
Dans mon cœur et mon esprit
Sur le vert des algues
Des coraux et du sable
L'eau tu fend, une dague
En paix, nage sous les lames
Joyeusement les larmes
Coule, hors de mon âme
Giant Devil Ray
Mobula mobular
Mobula seems to be coming from the word mobil or movable.
Family: Myliobatidae (Eagle Ray Family)
Fun Fact: They are ovoviparous (they lay an egg, but keep it inside of them, until it hatches), and are, “...Matrotrophs (i.e., the neonate receives nourishment from uterine milk secretion). They give birth to a single large pup.” (IUCN)
Habitat: They are endemic to pelagic waters in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean from Ireland to Senegal and as far reaching west as the Azores.
Ecosystem Role: They are epipelagic (in the sunlight zone) helping keep pelagic fish and crustacean species in check.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Devil Ray, Mobula mobular by Patrik Neckman Via Flickr: Devil Ray, Mobula mobular
Mobula mobular by sarah faulwetter
Mobula mobular - Devil Fish by Jasper Via Flickr: Oceanário de Lisboa
Photo: Rob Hughes
Giant Devil Ray or Devil Fish
Mobula mobular
A spiny-tailed ray can grow to an astonishing size: up 5.2 meters (17 ft) in length!
Photo: Franco Banfi/Solent
Photo: Phillip Colla - oceanlight.com
Nope, it’s not a photoshop: on August 26th, 1933, in the Atlantic Ocean off Brielle, New Jersey, a truly enormous Giant Devil Ray was dragged to shore after it became entangled in the anchor rope of a fishing vessel. It’s estimated the creature weighed around 5,000 pounds.
Photo: Modern Mechanix Blog