Form and Function in Mobulids: A Comparative Analysis of Filter Morphology With Bioinspiration Applications.

ABSTRACT: Mobulas (manta and devil rays) are large-scale ram filter feeders that separate planktonic food particles from large volumes of water with minimal clogging. This contrasts with most human-made filters that can suffer from problematic clogging requiring additional mechanisms for clearing blocked surfaces and maintaining performance. Prior studies have shown that mobulas employ a unique mechanism referred to as ricochet separation to filter feed, whereby captive vortices in filter pores cause particles to bounce off the filter surfaces and away from the filter pores. This mechanism enables the filtration of particles smaller than the pore size and reduced clogging. However, few studies have examined how the morphology of the filtering structure varies across the diversity of mobulid species,

SUBMITTER: Teeple JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12690469 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature