Franklin J. Viola Photography Aerial Portfolio

Named "devil ray" by early superstitious mariners due to its bat-shaped body & distinctive "horns" on either side of its broad head, the Giant Manta Ray (Manta birostris) is a member of the shark family. Photographed out an open door Cessna over Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia), the wingspan of this pelagic filter feeder was 20 feet or more.