Giant Flying Manta

The Giant Flying Manta is a large flying creature that patrols around the world. 
== Location ==
Manta can be found circling around the following biomes:
* Grass Fields
* Northern Forest
== Behavior ==
Giant Flying Manta glide through the sky and are accompanied by swarms of small flying creatures. Each manta patrols on a fixed path. The round-trip time for each manta is exactly five minutes. The manta and its flock are immune to the pioneer's attacks. Pioneers can jump onto its back and take a ride. Doing so generally requires a or tall Ladder. Take caution as the pioneer can only stay on the center part of its body, standing too near to the edge of the wing can cause pioneers to fall and suffer massive fall damage.
When flying, mantas avoid all the terrain features, such as flying above small hills, dive into ravines, passing through stone arches, and spiralling around rock spires. By riding on the manta, pioneers have the opportunity to discover interesting terrain features, such as resource nodes, Power Slugs, Crash Sites, Mercer Spheres and Somersloops.
If man-made buildings are built in its path, it will simply fly through them as there is no collision between the Manta and the buildings. The pioneer, however, if standing on it, does collide with the buildings and will be pushed away from Manta.
Its body emits blue lights during the night.
=== Riding ===
Be sure to stand near the center of its back to avoid falls. The Manta around the Northern Forest tilts more, so its safe spot is narrower. Reloading the game while riding will reset the Manta's position to its spawn point, causing the pioneer to fall.
== Gallery ==
File:Manta With Flock.png|The manta as seen from below with its swarm of small bird creatures flying in formation.
File:Manta in the background.png|The manta flying.
File:Manta E3.png|The manta up close in the E3 trailer.
File:Manta shadow E3.png|Its shadow, giving a better idea of its overall size.
File:Manta viewed from above.png|As seen from above
File:Manta is drifting.png|alt=Manta is drifting|Manta is drifting
File:Manta below.png|Manta's face
File:Manta front.png|Another image of the manta
File:Manta front view.png|The view from its front
== Trivia ==
* Unlike a pioneer, vehicles cannot be on the surface of Manta’s skin, as they fall through it.
* Its name comes from the Patch 0.1 patch notes
* It resembles a much larger version of the Skyray from the survival game Subnautica.
* Jace & Snutt claim that the Manta feels pain when clipping through player's factories.YouTube - October 12th, 2021 Livestream - Community Highlights: Manta Lore
== History ==
* Patch Closed Alpha 5: Added collision
Category:Fauna