Creature Feature: The Mighty Manta Ray

In today's blog, I'll be talking about these gorgeous animals: 

Manta rays are cartilaginous fish, just like sharks and sting rays. There are two main types: oceanic and reef mantas. The oceanic mantas are migratory animals, whereas the reef varieties tend to stay local. Some mantas can be 23 feet long and weigh over 4,0000 pounds! Despite their potentially massive size, they eat tiny zooplankton, arrow worms, copepods, and mysid shrimp. There is a lot of information we still need to discover about manta rays. For example, we don't even know their exact lifespan, although guesses are between 50 and 100 years old. 

A life-size model of an oceanic manta caught off of New Jersey in 1933. 

Their courtship rituals are very interesting: male mantas will follow a female in a train, copying her every move, until she determines which is most physically fit and persistent (see video below). Manta rays are ovoviviparous, meaning they reproduce with young in eggs that hatch inside the body of the mother. Although witnessed in captivity, there have been no wild manta births ever recorded.

Since March is Woman's History Month, let me take this opportunity to talk about a pioneering scientist. Leading the world in research on manta rays is Andrea Marshall. Known as "Queen of the Mantas", she is the first person in the world to complete a PhD on them, and has co-founded the Marine Megafauna Foundation. In the words of her website: "Aside from dramatically increasing the level of knowledge on manta rays themselves, Andrea’s discovery of a new giant species of manta ray in 2008 was one of the largest new species to have been described by any scientist in the last 50 years. She is currently working towards the description of a third Manta species. Using her extensive travels to uncover anthropogenic threats to manta rays and expose unsustainable fisheries for them, Andrea remains deeply committed to developing better management strategies for regional populations of these rays and their critical habitats." You go Andrea! 

It seems like I post a lot of pictures like this: a huge collection of body parts from a species of animal, taken by humans for their own selfish (and unnecessary) purpose.

Gill rakers, thin filaments in a manta ray's body, are used to filter food out of the water. But in recent years, they have been more harmful than helpful, since human's have decided they are valuable. Very similar to tiger bones or rhino horns, gill rakers can be used in traditional medicine, primarily in Southern China. They are also used as a substitute for shark cartilage in certain "medicines" (so we can only save one cartilaginous fish at a time I guess?). You can learn more from SharkSaver's website here. Some states and countries have banned the sale and trade of manta parts, but conservation efforts are nowhere near finished. A few blogs ago, I reviewed the show "Racing Extinction", and one of their feature stories was about a town in Indonesia. This village was responsible for the deaths of thousands of mantas, but after a decision by CITES, Indonesia became the world's largest manta ray sanctuary in January 2014. And what about the villagers you may ask? With help from organizations like WildAid, their town is becoming a thriving hub for ecotourism, and a shining example of how conservation efforts really can make a difference. 

There are lots of really awesome organizations out there that are promoting manta conservation. Here are just a few links you should check out: 
Manta Trust
Project Aware 
Manta Ray of Hope

You can also visit one of my favorite blogs, Voice for the Voiceless, for more information on the conservation of rays, sharks and whales. 

Thanks for reading everyone!