Most rays are in-between these two extremes. Manta ray Manta birostris is the largest ray. Mantas eat microscopic plankton, small fish, and tiny crustaceans. They funnel the food into their mouth while they swim, using two large, flap-like cephalic lobes which extend forward from the eyes. The Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray Taeniura lymna is a very common, timid ray with an oval-shaped disc and two venomous tail spikes toward the tip of its tail.
Rays have a flattened body shape and an elongated tail.
The shape of the disc differs from species to species and may be circular, oval, wedge-shaped or triangular. The ray's distinctive tail also varies from species to species. There are about 500 different living species of rays and skates, which are divided into 18 families. These different families of rays are very different in the way they look, live, and hunt. They have different shapes, sizes, color, fins, teeth, habitat, diet, personality, method of reproduction, and other attributes.