Adaptations
One of the adaptations is the Giant Manta Ray's size. Previous rays were much smaller than the modern day manta. The flattened shape of the ray however has stayed the same. The flat, disk shape body was an advantage for previous rays when searching for food, on the sea bed, as they could swim flat against the bottom. It also allowed them to hide in sediment on the sea bed when hiding from predators. But as the ray evolved and moved to the open ocean they were able to grow too much greater widths, feeding on plankton and other small organisms.
Another adaptation difference between rays of today and before is that the mouth was situated on the bottom of the ray’s body, instead of the front. This meant the ray could feed off the seabed while swimming, using it’s jaw and teeth to crush the shells of molluscs and crustaceans. This is why the mouth moved underside of the body, to the front. The shape of the ray’s mouth also changed, becoming much wider creating a large opening, to maximize the amount of food filtered through the gills when the manta is swimming. The rays from before did not need a mouth of that size because of how they ate the crustaceans.
Another adaptation difference between rays of today and before is that the mouth was situated on the bottom of the ray’s body, instead of the front. This meant the ray could feed off the seabed while swimming, using it’s jaw and teeth to crush the shells of molluscs and crustaceans. This is why the mouth moved underside of the body, to the front. The shape of the ray’s mouth also changed, becoming much wider creating a large opening, to maximize the amount of food filtered through the gills when the manta is swimming. The rays from before did not need a mouth of that size because of how they ate the crustaceans.