📸 PhotoPhoto: Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Spinetail devil ray
Mobula mobular (Spinetail devil ray · イトマキエイ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum disc width of 5.2 m is longer than a passenger car (about 4.5 m) (Comparison).
- 💡 Its maximum weight of 1.5 tons is similar to a passenger car (about 1.5 tons) (Comparison).
- 💡 It is a species caught in commercial fisheries (FishBase).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The spinetail devil ray is a large ray that spreads its broad pectoral fins like wings to swim through surface waters of the open ocean, filter-feeding on krill. It travels alone or in groups.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It funnels food toward its mouth with the cephalic fins on either side of its head and filters it through specialized gill plates. Disc width has been reported at around 240 cm in females and up to 520 cm in males.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds mainly on krill (euphausiids) and also eats copepods, crustacean larvae, and small fish. Acoustic tracking has confirmed that it rises above the thermocline at night to feed on krill.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is a species recorded in Korea and listed on the National List of Species of Korea.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List CR (2025) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/110847130/279075986
- • IUCN Red List category CR — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 6RMTQ
- • iucnredlist.org — 279075986
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000057386 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000057386
- • wikidata.org — Q1502150
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Mobula mobular 122443097.jpg
- • fishbase.se — Mobula-mobular.html
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — David Orr · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.