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We conducted an ultrasonographic experiment on a pregnant manta ray, Manta alfredi (Chondrichthyes, Batoidea). This study showed how the embryo of the live-bearing elasmobranchs respires in the body of the female. In the embryonic stage, the manta ray embryo takes in uterine fluid by buccal-pumping. After birth, the manta ray shifts its respiratory mode from buccal-pumping to ram-ventilation. The rapid reduction of the spiracle size in the young manta ray may reflect this shift of respiratory mode. Unlike mammals or some carcharhinid sharks that acquire oxygen through a placenta and umbilical cord, the manta ray embryo does not have a direct connection with the mother. Thus, the manta ray embryo obtains oxygen by buccal-pumping of the uterine fluid, in the same way that the embryos of egg-laying species obtain oxygen from the water in the egg case. This finding extends our understanding of the diversity of embryonic respiratory systems in live-bearing vertebrates.

Live-bearing manta ray: how the embryo acquires oxygen without placenta and umbilical cord