![]() ![]() Sometimes called ‘pandas of the sea’, these gregarious, toothless, and more than 4,000-pound sea. Some entangled mantas would swim directly to us as if to solicit assistance. For giant manta rays in the Indo-Pacific, home means a surprisingly small spot in the ocean. These encounters always reminded us how intelligent these animals truly are. The manta ray Justin spotted is estimated to be 16-18 feet in wingspan. Our team members could spend entire dives cutting away at the nets and lines- the mantas patiently cooperating, remaining calm, barely swimming, the whole time. can be distinguised by a number of measurements but also by size. Chevron Manta, Devilfish, Giant Manta, Oceanic Manta, Pacific Manta Ray, Pelagic Manta Author(s) Mark McGrouther Updated 08/12/22 Read time 2 minutes Share this page. There were times I would find myself hooked and entangled myself as I tried to rescue the mantas, and I constantly worried about getting pulled into the depths once connected to the mantas and the lines. Giant Manta Ray, Mobula birostris (Walbaum, 1792) Giant Manta Ray, Mobula birostris. In a new study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, NOAA scientists and. They are highly mobilethey 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. Some of the mantas were so badly entangled with heavily fouled nets that the lines would embed into their skin, making rescue extremely difficult and dangerous. The giant manta ray is a filter feeder with a wing span of up to 29 feet. Every year we would spend dive after dive removing fishing lines, hooks, and, worst case, large fishing nets from the mantas. ![]() "I was shocked to see how prevalent entanglements were in the region. Andrea details harrowing accounts of rescues during her time there: If you are looking for an intelligent Manta ray, then the giant oceanic manta ray (Manta birostris) should be your best take. Mobula birostris, or the Giant Oceanic Manta ray as they are. Sadly, the study surfaced an alarming finding– over 500 individuals showed human-induced scarring, mainly from nets or fishing line entanglement – highlighting a significant threat from fishing in the region. In other words, despite their physical differences, rays are actually related to sharks. A giant oceanic manta getting friendly with our photo identification team off the coast of Ecuador.Ĭopyright: Andrea Marshall The prevalence of fishing line entanglements ![]()
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