Just a few days ago we shared the story of a sea turtle apparently thanking a diver who freed it from an entanglement. Half way across the world, a huge Manta ray has seemingly done the same.
While diving in the Philippines in April, diver Jane Headley came across a distressed manta ray. The manta’s right wing had apparently been ensnared in fishing line, and the result was a two-and-a-half foot laceration in it’s wing. This manta must have been swimming with the line for some time, because barnacles are growing on the line.
After spotting the injured manta, Jane and several other divers came to the rescue. When one diver makes an initial attempt to cut the line, the manta ray pulls away, in both pain and, perhaps, fear.
After they freed the elegant creature from the painful fishing line, the huge manta seemingly thanks the big fish offers the divers. After divers manage to remove most of the line, with just one last piece to go, the manta ray calmly settles down and allows them to help, without so much as a twitch.
Watch the video and see for yourself:
After being freed, rather than simply swim off, the big manta ray stays with the divers. Is the fish, in its own way, trying to thank them for their kindness? We’ll never know for sure, but it sure looks that way.
The Manta ray is one of the most beautiful, mysterious — and biggest — creatures in the ocean. But like most sea creatures, it is far from safe from human activity in the ocean waters. Contrary to myth, manta rays are not harmful to humans and are rather gentle creatures.