The largest school of rays ever caught on film

Tens of thousands of mobula rays come together off the coast of Baja California in a brilliant display of their massive numbers underwater. Then watch them breach for reasons unknown. The leaps out of the water are spectacular as their pectoral fins flap in the air.

Though it’s hard to tell in this clip, these animals are quite large, likely weighing over a ton and reaching “a disc width of up to 5.2 m (17 ft)…” This is also likely the largest school of rays ever to be caught on film, captured for National Geographic’s Untamed Americas.

Surprisingly, we know very little about these large “flying” creatures. They feed on plankton and small fish, give birth to a single pup, and are listed as endangered, but we’ve yet to learn the details of their population, birth cycles, or what keeps them healthy. In many ways, they remain mysterious.

In the archives, two more incredible ray videos: California Devil Rays leap from the Pacific and Dr. Andrea Marshall gets up close with the giant manta rays of Mozambique.

Thanks, @HeathenReason.