Reef manta rays are found globally in (sub)tropical waters, whereas oceanic manta rays are found in both (sub)tropical and temperature ocean waters. Other differences between the manta ray species are the fact that there are no spots in between the gills of giant manta rays and the dark edges at the end of the bottom of their fins. The two species look very similar, however, reef manta rays are typically 3 to 3.5 meter in disc width ( the largest reef manta rays have been found in Mozambique, sizing up to 5m in disc width), while giant oceanic manta rays can impressively reach up to 9 meters in size. Though, only in 2008 scientists discovered that there are two species of manta ray, not one. Research has proven that manta rays can recognise themselves in the mirror, which is considered a high cognitive function. Manta rays have sparked the interest of scientists globally for decades, for one because the species have the biggest brain-to-size ratio of any fish, indicating high intelligence.
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