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Manta Ray, Mexico, 2007

Photo: Manta ray leaping out of the water

A leaping manta ray (Manta birostris) seems to fly above the Gulf of California off the coast of Mexico. Mantas, easily recognizable by their pectoral "wings," stay near the ocean's surface, unlike other rays. They leap—up to seven feet (two meters) high—then return to the surface with a resounding slap.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Still Waters: The Global Fish Crisis," April 2007, National Geographic magazine)

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Photograph by Brian J. Skerry