![]() ![]() But we're sad to report that scientists at Manta Trust and the Marine Megafauna Foundati on have confirmed the images are real. ![]() When photos of this giant oceanic manta ray surfaced last week, there was some initial speculation that they might be fake. It is a great example of how public contributions can directly support research.UPDATE (11:45 PST): The manta was not pregnant at the time of capture, no foetus was found during the necropsy. ‘At first it was overwhelming to narrow down hotspots and build up a photo ID database along such a large coastline, but citizen science support has been instrumental to the process. ‘South Africa has been a missing piece of the puzzle for some time, and there is still a lot of work needed to understand manta ray habitat use here,’ said Michelle Carpenter, a PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town, who began managing South Africa’s manta ray photo-ID database in 2020. ‘Although we are just beginning to brush the surface of these movements, these findings are a huge step forward in helping us to inform the management and conservation of the species within southern Africa.’ Researcher Dr Stephanie Venables swimming with a manta ray (Photo: MMF) ‘Seasonality of mantas at Zavora and limited connectivity to Tofo has always suggested southern movements,’ said Cullain. Nakia Cullain, a PhD student at Dalhousie University and manager of MMF’s southernmost field station for manta rays at Zavora, said she was ‘not surprised’ to learn of the rays’ connectivity to South Africa. ‘The first two transboundary movements were detected with public submissions to Manta Matcher, showing how people everywhere can contribute to conservation science.’ ‘Citizen science contributions were critical to this research,’ said Anna Flam, global manager of Manta Matcher. Cross-referencing regional databases using automated pattern-matching algorithms led to confirmation of the African manta rays’ extended range. Images of the same individual manta, photographed by citizen scientists from Mozambique (left), and South Africa (right).Ĭitizen science played a significant role in the study, with the SCUBA diving community submitting ID photos of mantas in South Africa to, the global online open-access database for ray sightings. MMF scientist Dr Stephanie Venables, who completed her PhD thesis on the Mozambican manta ray population, said that the cross-border movements ‘are an important finding, as they demonstrate the need for cooperative species management between the neighbouring countries.’ A critical part of the team’s research focus is to understand better where and how far the species moves in order to guide effective management solutions. The Foundation’s previous work has found a steep decline in manta ray sightings over the past two decades, highlighting it as an at-risk population. MMF’s manta ray research program in Mozambique has been monitoring the southern Mozambican population for more than 20 years, making it one of the longest and most comprehensive manta ray studies globally. ‘We are thrilled to have finally confirmed this for the first time through rigorous, long-term research efforts along the southeastern coast of Africa.’ ‘As highly mobile species, reef manta rays are capable of long-range movements, so it was only a matter of time until we documented international exchange between the waters of adjacent countries,’ said Dr Andrea Marshall, MMF co-founder and principal scientist. The study highlights gaps in the existing knowledge of the species, and scientists hope that it will encourage more focused research on manta rays along the eastern coast of Africa. Another manta made a return trip between Zavora in Southern Mozambique and Sodwana Bay, a total distance of at least 870 km. The longest (one-way) movement captured during the study was an individual which travelled between Tofo Beach, Mozambique and Sodwana Bay, South Africa in less than 301 days – a straight-line distance of 505 km. Revillagigedo Archipelago & Guadalupe Island. ![]()
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