How to Fold a Origami Manta Ray!

In this Instructable, you will be learning to make a manta ray! It was designed by me when I was fiddling around with a partially completed Lyrebird by Satoshi Kamiya. It has a mouth, tail, and even looks like it's swimming! Let's get into folding.

Disclaimer: I apologize in advance for any bad photos I may have taken. If you have a question, put it in the comments. Thanks!

Origami/Printer paper

Some origami know-how

A flat surface to fold on.

Fold both the corners , splitting the paper into fourths. Then, fold it on existing creases.

Fold the triangle in half. Then, reverse fold some inside the model. You can eyeball the reverse fold, just make sure it's even. Note: The larger the reverse fold, the larger the front fins will be

Unfold it all! You should then see a square outline in the middle of the square sheet.

Fold it in half again, except this time, push down on the smaller square portion in the middle. Then, flatten it all. It should look like the picture on the right.

This step could be a little tricky if you haven't quite mastered all the folds. Spread sink the flaps on both sides and flatten. This will soon form the mouth and tail.

Reverse fold the 2 outside wings into the middle This will shape the body into the desired shape.

Fold BOTH layers of the bottom to the middle, sort of like a paper airplane . This will form the tail. I circled what it will look like when done.

Reverse fold the stray flap underneath to form the wide, open mouth manta rays are known for.

The front fins on a manta ray (also known as the cephalic fins) can be formed by rabbit-ear folding the front 2 triangle flaps.

To shape the tail, pinch it to make it 3D. This will add depth and detail to your model.

To detail your fins, simply curl it around your finger. This will give added detail to your model, and make it look nicer in my opinion.

Rabbit-ear the small side portion near the front fins. This will make your ray more detailed, because manta rays have eyes and we don't have them so far.

That's it! You finished the manta ray! If you have any questions, concerns, or comments put them in the comments section . If you want another challenge, see my origami hermit crab instructable. Thanks for folding!