Sea giants: photographer takes mesmerizing photos of stingrays underwater (20 photos)

Underwater photographer Daniel Sasse, in addition to photography, is actively involved in the protection and preservation of marine life on the planet. With his photographs he wants to convey how beautiful and at the same time vulnerable the underwater world and its inhabitants are. These shots show rare manta rays, or giant sea devils, which the photographer photographed off the coast of Thailand.

The photographer took these mesmerizing pictures in the town of Hin Daeng in the Andaman Sea, off the coast of Thailand. For shooting, he used a Sony NEX 7 camera in an underwater housing and two external strobe lights for illumination. The footage shows manta rays or giant sea devils (Manta birostris). This is a species of stingray that has been assigned the conservation status of "vulnerable" - mainly due to fishing and deteriorating habitat conditions.

The manta ray is the largest species of ray in the world. Due to their huge pectoral fins, they usually reach five meters in width, and some individuals up to nine meters. Manta rays can weigh up to three tons. These fish are found both in the coastal zone, near coral reefs and islands, and in deep waters - at a depth of up to 120 meters. They feed on zooplankton in the form of shrimp, krill and crabs in the planktonic stage, filtering it out of the water.

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