By Rebecca Drew
STUNNING action shots have revealed the moment a three-and-a-half-foot wide Munk’s mobula ray gracefully leapt from the water to seemingly fly through the air.
The spectacular images show the ray performing a series of acrobatics before appearing to hover above the water’s surface like a UFO.
The incredible photographs were taken by wildlife and conservation photographer Mark Carwardine at the Sea of Cortez, Gulf of California, Mexico.
The Munk’s mobula ray or devil ray can reach heights of more than six-feet when jumping from the water and can stay in the air for many seconds. The creatures are closely related to sharks but have flat and long bodies with wing-like pectoral fins.
The rays can also be found in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Ecuador and Guatemala, and near the Galapagos Islands.