Boaters Capture Passing Glimpse Of Massive Manta Ray

A lucky observer caught the most incredible footage of an enormous manta ray swimming right by their boat, and the video will send chills down your spine! Micheal Bennett shared this stunning clip on social media, where it has received over three million views. It’s amazing to watch this graceful creature glide through the water, especially so close to the camera. Seeing a manta ray right next to a boat, you realize how large these aquatic animals truly are!

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Viewers were stunned by the beautiful footage, but a few commenters admitted that they were a little frightened by the gigantic fish.

“I know they’re harmless, but this is why I only swim in swimming pools,” one person wrote.

It’s easy to understand why some people would be afraid to encounter one of these creatures in the wild. After all, their size does make them look fairly intimidating! However, manta rays are pretty fascinating animals when you get to know them. In fact, you might have more in common with these fish than you realize!

According to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, manta rays are very smart. They have excellent memories, and their brains are quite large compared to those of other fish! Something else that might surprise you about these creatures is that they love a good spa treatment. They often visit “cleaning stations” where fish called wrasse spend an hour nibbling “dead skin and parasites” off them. How relaxing!

One of the most important things to note about manta rays is that they aren’t dangerous. In fact, humans pose far more of a threat to these animals than they do to us! Overfishing, pollution, and climate change have put them on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

While this is certainly sad news, there are ways that we can help. You can visit the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s donation page to learn more.

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.