manta

Everyday

1. A manta, or manta ray, is a very large, flat sea fish with wide fins like wings, which glides through warm oceans and eats tiny plankton. tree →
2. A manta is also a kind of blanket or cloak in Spanish-speaking countries (rare in English). tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons manta rays appear in ocean habitats and as filter feeders; they are related to sharks and have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone. They are harmless to people, unlike stingrays, and can be seen by divers on reefs in Australia and other warm seas. Phrases: «manta ray», «giant manta».

Examples

• A manta ray glided over the coral reef. tree →
• Manta rays eat plankton, not people. tree →
• The giant manta can be wider than a car. tree →
• Divers swam beside the gentle mantas. tree →
• A manta's skeleton is made of cartilage like a shark's. tree →
• We watched mantas leap out of the water on a nature film. tree →

Note

Countable. Usually said in full: «manta ray». A manta has no stinging spine, so do not mix it up with a stingray.