mantas

plural of manta
as in rays
any of several extremely large rays a manta glided along the sea bottom

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Recent Examples of mantas From roughly October through March, higher concentrations of plankton can attract larger groups of mantas but make the water cloudier. — Sarah Bruning, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026 Divers captured video footage of Galápagos sharks approaching manta rays and deliberately rubbing parts of their bodies, especially their heads, gill regions and sides, against the mantas’ undersides. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 The resident Manta Trust team has catalogued 150 individual rays and uses the world's first underwater contactless ultrasound scanner to check on pregnant mantas, while the Olive Ridley Project leads turtle research across Laamu Atoll. — Jonny Bierman, Time, 12 Mar. 2026 Also in the Tuamotus, on the atoll of Tikehau, divers head out to Tuheiava Pass with Tikehau Diving for regular sightings of mantas at a cleaning station (pinnacles that draw large fish to have their gills, teeth, and carapaces cleaned by smaller ones). — Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 11 Sep. 2025 Divers can expect to explore underwater cliffs and walls teeming with mantas, tuna, and various species of sharks. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 June 2025 Researchers have seen large groups of mantas and devil rays jumping together among dense schools of plankton – presumably to concentrate or stun the plankton so the rays can more easily scoop them up. — A. Peter Klimley, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mantas
rays
Noun
  • Long-lasting GRBs also seem to be more active in the X-rays rather than the gamma rays.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • As Krupa Koestline, cosmetic chemist and founder of KKT Innovation Labs Krupa Koestline, once explained to Vogue, BEMT is a filter that absorbs both UVB and UVA rays.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mantas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mantas. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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