![]() ![]() In other regions, we typically have population estimates of 1,000 to 2,000 animals, which makes this species very sensitive. “It’s clear that something different is happening here,” Stewart said. The research, published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, was led by Fundación Megafauna Marina del Ecuador, a conservation organisation based in Ecuador, in collaboration with The Manta Trust, the Marine Megafauna Foundation, and the Ocean Ecology Lab at OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute.Īccording to Joshua Stewart, an assistant professor with the Marine Mammal Institute in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences and a co-author of the paper, these findings indicate that, while other populations of oceanic manta rays are typically small and therefore extremely vulnerable to human impacts, this population is large and potentially quite healthy. Incredibly, scientists involved in the study identified a distinct population of oceanic manta rays off the coast of Ecuador that is more than ten times larger than any other known subpopulation of the species. Their feeding and diving behavior creates a valuable ecological connection between the surface ocean and the deep sea.As reported by the Manta Trust, a recent study has confirmed Ecuador’s manta population to be the largest on earth. ![]() Manta rays control plankton abundance and diversity and regulate nutrient cycling. They are capable of learning, remembering, and even recognizing themselves in the mirror. Giant manta rays have the biggest brains of any fish. The model also allows for more effective timing and coordination of conservation efforts, like outreach to reduce recreational fisheries bycatch and vessel collisions. This helps managers assess the likelihood and potential exposure and harm caused by human activities (i.e., oil and gas exploration, construction activities, dredging, etc.). Model predictions provide managers with a better understanding of what causes manta rays to move and how they use their habitat. The team’s findings will allow resource managers to more effectively protect manta rays from threats including: Helping Managers Protect Manta Rays-and the Ecosystem In the Gulf of Mexico, the highest nearshore occurrence was predicted around the Mississippi River delta from April to June and again from October to November.As temperatures cool from November to March, manta rays are more prevalent south of Savannah, Georgia.As temperatures warm from June to October, the distribution of manta rays extends northward along the shelf-edge, with higher occurrences north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. ![]() The highest nearshore occurrence off tends to be off northeastern Florida during April.This model predicts where manta rays are most likely to occur, based on sea surface temperature, water depth, and productivity as inferred from thermal fronts and Chlorophyll-a concentration.īased on the model's predictions, we have improved insights on where, when, and how many mantas are likely to occur in Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters: The study team controlled for aerial survey effort and environmental factors affecting the ability to see manta rays to develop the model. The team developed a species distribution model to predict where manta rays are most likely to occur based on a number of environmental factors. Sightings were heavily biased to where more people are on or near the water. They came from decades of aerial surveys, social media posts, scientific publications, and direct reports to NOAA’s manta sightings email account. The study team identified more than 5,000 verified sightings of giant manta rays. The 4-year study found these large rays consistently occur in warm, productive coastal and shelf-edge waters off the eastern United States and within the Gulf of Mexico. In a new study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, NOAA scientists and partners describe the annual and seasonal changes in manta ray distribution, as revealed by aerial surveys. They are highly mobile-they move quite a bit and need protection in areas both where they travel and where they live. The species is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The giant manta ray is a filter feeder with a wing span of up to 29 feet. But then you realize the world’s largest ray is harmless and just looking for its next meal: tiny zooplankton. ![]() When you see a big, dark shadow with wings glide by you in the water, your first reaction might be one of fear due to the enormous size. ![]()
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