The diamond-shaped ray surfaced near the 91st Street Fishing Pier around 1\u00a0p.m. Monday, drawing the attention of anglers and onlookers alike.<\/p>\n
“You can tell that it is a manta ray by the distinctive white marking on the back and the cephalic fins near the mouth (the horn-like head fins in front of the mouth),” Eisenbach said.<\/p>\n
“However, there have been multiple sightings of manta rays closer to shore off the coast of Galveston,” Eisenbach said. “While I wouldn’t say that it is very common to see manta rays this close to shore, it does happen sporadically.”<\/p>\n
The most likely explanation for this week’s appearance is food.<\/p>\n
“Large plankton blooms will attract manta rays and other planktivores,” Eisenbach said.<\/p>\n
“These are plankton feeders, and plankton is much more abundant inshore than offshore,” he said.<\/p>\n
In footage of the animal circulating online, Fisher said the manta appeared to be feeding.<\/p>\n
“You can see the mouth is fully open,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roger Pace was among those who watched the ray glide near the pier. He estimated the animal had a wingspan of roughly 10 to 12 feet.\u00a0Pace said many anglers initially mistook the ray for a shark and tried to catch it.<\/p>\n
“It wasn’t until my son and I approached and told them it wasn’t a shark, and it was actually a manta ray, and that trying to catch such is not only illegal, but just wrong, and even then, many refused to give up on hooking this creature,” he told Chron.<\/p>\n
“As fishermen of the Gulf Coast<\/a> for more than 40 years, we could obviously tell it wasn’t a shark,” he said.<\/p>\n