![]() ![]() “They’re smart, almost like the dolphins of fish,” says Setyawan. Some are ready and willing to show off their bellies and identify themselves, while others swim in the other direction. Some are shy and some are more extroverted. Who would be surprised to hear that sailors. Manta birostrisAtlantic manta(Also: Blanketfish Giant Manta Sea devil) Geographic Range Habitat Physical Description Reproduction Lifespan/Longevity. His team can tell them apart from the unique spot patterns on their bellies. Giant oceanic manta rays have a long sting-like tail, are huge and swim through the oceans as noiselessly as bats. Manta rays’ large brain-to-body ratio allows them to have individual personalities, says Setyawan. His findings were published in May 2022 in Frontiers in Marine Science. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has announced that the. “It took eight years of research to prove we had found it,” he says. Giant manta becomes first manta ray to be listed as an endangered species. The 14-year study identified more than 2,800 individual giant manta rays in Ecuador- more than any other study to date. In this protected environment, the babies are birthed and live until large enough to survive elsewhere. Setyawan says he and his colleagues have found the world’s first confirmed manta ray nursery in Raja Ampat. Scientists think that the animals give birth in manta ray nurseries, where most of the mantas living there are pups. Manta moms give birth to around one live pup every two to three years, and then she sets them on their way. Manta ray filter feeding above a coral reef in the blue Komodo waters (Credit: Kjersti Joergensen/Shutterstock) “It’s the best place to interact with mantas,” he says. They are filter feeders that eat large quantities of krill and other zooplankton and tend to live in small subpopulations in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters, spending much of their time in the open ocean. In the morning or afternoon, for example, they regularly find their spot on the coral reef and enjoy what basically amounts to a marine spa treatment.Īs the tiny fish and crustaceans clean the rays, Setyawan bears witness to a sea creature in its element. Oceanic manta rays are the largest species of ray, with wingspans that can reach more than 20 feet. Much of his observations occur in what are called “cleaning stations.” Manta rays often hover over coral reefs while cleaner fish, like the wrasse fish and the scarlet cleaner shrimp, remove parasites, dead skin cells and bacteria from the rays’ skin.Īlthough manta rays tend to fly solo, they’re known to gather at such cleaning sites during certain times of the day. It’s a slow-growing, long-lived species that has been shown in some cases to live up to 60 years, says Setyawan. The giant manta ray is the largest ray in the ocean, with a wingspan of up to 30 feet. Underwater view of Giant oceanic manta ray in tropical Nusa Penida island, Indonesia (Credit: Denis Moskvinov/Shutterstock) ![]()
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