If you ask a group of people what is a manta, nine out of ten will think of stingrays or those large things that swim in the rivers of Florida. Even through the manta ray is the largest winged creature on the planet and has a wingspan wider than a condor, few people even know they exist. The width of a manta ray can exceed 22 feet. They are part of the shark family but hold no danger to humans as they eat only tiny zooplankton. They are found throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In the Pacific Ocean, they have been documented as far south as New Zealand and as far north as Hawaii.