Every year, in the Gulf of California, hundreds of rays congregate to take parting in a spot of jumping. The fish, some measuring more than ten feet across, will leap clear of the water before belly-slapping back into the sea – and no-one really knows why.
It is a behaviour trait shared by all members of the Mobula genus, and individuals have been recorded leaping more than two metres clear of the water’s surface. Some Scientists suggest it is a sign of courtship, with both sexes taking part, while other theories include a method of feeding or the ridding of parasites, but it seems set to be one of those great mysteries never to be solved.
Fishpool thinks they do it simply because they can – and because it drives us mad wondering…