Saturday, August 30, 2014

A Real Texas Sea Monster

Below is a photo of a 2000 lb. manta ray (Manta birostris) that was caught off the jetties in Galveston sometime in the early 1900's. This brute was caught by a 75-year old man. I can only imagine the fight he had on his hands prior to landing this fish.


Big rays like this were once commonly referred to as devil fish or sea devils and can reach widths of more than 20 feet. It is likely a safe assumption that some sea monster reports from years past were actually sightings of huge manta rays.

Source: Traces of Texas
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownAugust 30, 2014 at 7:03 PM

    Mike ... when I was a kid, I saw a huge manta similar to this one from the t-head of the Gulf Coast Fishing Pier, which is now called the Galveston Pier. The tips of it's "wings" touched the pilings as it swam under the pier. Standing only 12' above ... it was an awesome sight! Thanks for the memories ...

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  2. Cindy LittleSeptember 4, 2014 at 11:59 AM

    Good grief!

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  3. UnknownApril 16, 2017 at 5:44 AM

    Cameron Cox

    About 3 or 4 years ago, I was fishing at Traylor Island near Aransas Pass and Rockport, Texas. We had anchored our boat and were wade fishing. I came back to the boat and was resting a little bit when me and my wife both saw something break the water that was almost unfathomable. A HUGE manta ray shot out of the water and belly flopped with a huge splash. The beast was probably about 100m or so from our boat. Quite the sight. I am very glad I wasn't the only one that saw it that day. No one would ever believe me.

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