Is this Manta doing what I think it's doing?

Hi there,

Can someone please take a look and tell me what they think is happening.

Shot taken in Komodo early this year.

thanks

Mark

Birth? If so, exciting!

And if so, where is accompanying blood and stuff? (see this video)

http://www.tonywublog.com/20070617/live-ma...-captivity.html

Is this Manta doing what I think it's doing?

btw and possibly unrelated to what you are thinking, I have seen a video of large ray's giving birth before and it is very quick and "explosive" event.

Birth? If so, exciting!

 

And if so, where is accompanying blood and stuff?

That's what it looks like to me.

whereabouts of the blood and stuff I don't know.

I only noticed this today while looking through what I had shot. I still have others to look through but this seems to be the only one like this, 4 other divers never mentioned seeing it either, maybe it's a photo illusion!

Mark

Years ago I was making a shore dive off of Santa Barbara CA on Mohawk reef. I heard a noise over my shoulder. Looking back I saw a Bat Ray swim over my head from behind. Immediately below it at the junction of the tail was a very small Bat Ray in perfect formation. Research showed that Bat Rays give live birth. I have always suspect I saw the birth.

Checking on Mantas I see they also give live birth. Great shot. Have you looked at it all blown up?

I believe that they lay eggs that hatch internally. Don't know that there would be blood and debris.

def not birth, manta far too skinny for that.

Could be one of two things, a) taking a poop, but i doubt that, it is very messy and explosive and a big cloud...

B) the other thing that mantas do on occasion is rapidly push in and out their.. for lack of better word... anus. It goes in and out 4 or 5 times quickly for some reason, no idea why, perhaps triggered by a cleaner fish or something. But looks pretty weird when you see it. That is what it is if you ask me, if it was giving birth you would have not missed that.

Have you looked at it all blown up?

I have looked at 1:1 in tiff and raw but it is not much clearer than the jpeg crop.

if it was giving birth you would have not missed that

I may have because I left the internal flash up java script:emoticon('',%20'smid_18')and it was taking ages to recycle, I was cursing and watching the camera for a lot of the time waiting for a ready signal.

Two of them hung around for about 30min

def not birth, manta far too skinny for that.

 

Could be one of two things, a) taking a poop, but i doubt that, it is very messy and explosive and a big cloud...

 

B) the other thing that mantas do on occasion is rapidly push in and out their.. for lack of better word... anus. It goes in and out 4 or 5 times quickly for some reason, no idea why, perhaps triggered by a cleaner fish or something. But looks pretty weird when you see it. That is what it is if you ask me, if it was giving birth you would have not missed that.

I vote for option B, or a prolapse... :-)

-Wyatt

I vote for option B, or a prolapse... :-)

-Wyatt

Has this Manta been assaulted too often by the Pink UW Police ?

It's a bit like UFO sightings, there are pictures and videos but none of them very clear

Isn't it just a male flicking his claspers around? Maybe he's well endowed...

It's a bit like UFO sightings, there are pictures and videos but none of them very clear

hmm, I think this might be the start of a new conspiracy theory :glare: ...

Maybe UFO's are now implanting anal probes into mantas?

Isn't it just a male flicking his claspers around? Maybe he's well endowed...

should we prepare ourselves for yet another series of revealing pictures?

@Pakman: I saw that episode. Too funny

Hi there,

 

Can someone please take a look and tell me what they think is happening.

 

Shot taken in Komodo early this year.

 

thanks

 

Mark

How long were you around to watch this; was it changing? Was there blood or other discharge?

To me this looks like a fairly amorphous mass of tissue, and assuming it's static and attached, could be some type of tumour or growth.

.....assuming it's static and attached, could be some type of tumour....

Static and attached....tumour....makes me automatically think of "amputation"....I think you got many a male member of this forum scared now, Jeff

Indeed, i don't want anyone going near my 'member' with a scalpel...

If it was holding on to the other Manta's wing tip tightly screaming "come near me again and i'll cut the F#*kers off".. it was a birth

If the other Manta was holding 'its' wing tip but swimming in a 'john wayne' fashion then it was the legend that is JOHNNY THE MANTA HOLMES !!!! B)

Dive safe

Dean(marine biologist with honours or crabs)B

Another possibility - afterbirth - that has not separated. Gross I know.

How long were you around to watch this; was it changing? Was there blood or other discharge?

I watched 2 of them for about 30minutes and 80 pics no sign of blood, damage or discharge

Isn't it just a male flicking his claspers around? Maybe he's well endowed...

This may be right, Here is another pic taken 2 minutes earlier. The top manta is the same one.

and another pic taken 2 minutes later. The top manta is the same one.

You guys should be happy now, Slow motion Manta porno.