Giant oceanic manta ray Temporal range: Miocene to Present
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Superorder: | Batoidea |
Order: | Myliobatiformes |
Family: | Mobulidae |
Genus: | Mobula |
Species: | M. birostris
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Binomial name | |
Mobula birostris (Walbaum, 1792)
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Range of the giant oceanic manta ray | |
Synonyms[citation needed] | |
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The giant oceanic manta ray, giant manta ray, or oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris) is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae and the largest type of ray in the world. It is circumglobal and is typically found in tropical and subtropical waters but can also be found in temperate waters.[4] Until 2017, the species was classified in the genus Manta, along with the smaller reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi). DNA testing revealed that both species are more closely related to rays of the genus Mobula than previously thought. As a result, the giant manta was renamed Mobula birostris to reflect the new classification.[5]