Magnificent Mantas

We all love manta rays. They are the largest known rays in the world, are highly intelligent and well-known for their mesmerising underwater acrobatics. These gentle giants have long captivated humans and draw flocks of tourists every year – but they are also in decline, threatened by the trade in mobulid gill plates, by-catch, boat collisions and climate change. And, as with most elasmobranchs, we know relatively little about them. The Manta Trust is one of the largest and longest-standing charities dedicated to manta research and conservation globally. Its flagship project, the Maldivian Manta Ray Project (MMRP), has been running since 2005. The Maldives is a globally important site for mantas, boasting the world’s largest known population of reef mantas (Mobula alfredi) thanks to its nutrient-rich waters, which are abundant with the mantas’ favourite zooplankton. The MMRP has over 15 years of vital data on the Maldivian manta population, its movements, and possible threats. This information has been critical in ensuring protection for mantas and their most important habitats in both the Maldives and other corners of the global ocean.

We asked for all your questions about this enigmatic species and pitched them to experts Lois Flounders, Yani Mohamed and Simon Hilbourne, who currently work with the MMRP. They have the pretty remarkable job of hanging out with mantas and diving in the spectacular underwater world of the Maldives to find out more about these species and how we can better protect them. In this episode, they take us on an adventure into those warm, incredibly biodiverse waters to meet some of its most famous inhabitants.

We ask our guests about their most memorable experiences in the ocean – which, unsurprisingly, involve some incredible manta encounters [04.36]. Except for Lois, she remembers an experience with another much-loved filter feeder who frequents much colder waters! We then learn about Yani, Simon and Lois’ roles within the MMRP [08.30].

We then move on to talk about all things manta. Yani tells us what a manta is – what they look like and some key defining characteristics [14.05]. We learn of a pretty fun (and highly scientific) nickname: ‘sea pancake’! Simon explains the difference between the two species – reef mantas and giant oceanic mantas (Mobula birostris) [14.55]. The most apparent differences relate to their body size and colouration, but some other morphological and behavioural characteristics distinguish the two. We also learned that there might soon be a third species announced! Lois then answers our first listener question – what are the connections between manta rays and sharks [17.05]? She discusses how mantas are related to sharks and some shared characteristics like a cartilaginous skeleton and the need to keep swimming to survive, which leads us to sing a very familiar song from Finding Nemo.

 Next up: colour morphs! Did you know that mantas can have lots of different colour variations, such as ‘ghostly’ white mantas (leucistic) or even completely black individuals (melanistic) [19.14]? Simon explains why this occurs and completely blows my mind by revealing that even a pink manta exists in Australia [21.28]! We then delve into the purpose of the distinctive manta ‘horns’, which are two modified fins on the head used for feeding that Lois describes as ‘face-spoons’ [22.48]. We learn a lot of fun terminology in this episode!

Yani then talks about the importance of the Maldives for mantas and why we get so many in that part of the world [26.10]. We also spend a bit of time discussing the many and very elaborate feeding strategies he has seen across the country, including somersaults, piggy-backing and even a vortex of mantas [32.09]. We also address the questions of ‘can a manta swallow a human’ [35.33] and why mantas leap out of the water in a behaviour known as breaching [37.42].

We couldn’t have an episode about manta rays without discussing some of the biggest threats to their survival [40.49]. Lois talks about the pressure from fisheries, which is now driven mainly by the trade in mobulid gill plates. She also discusses another significant threat, by-catch, where mantas are caught accidentally by fishing vessels targeting other species. Simon also mentions the danger of increasing boat traffic in the oceans – including from tourism – and the potential impacts of climate change [43.26]. This brings us to one of the Manta Trust’s most significant initiatives – IDtheManta – where anyone from around the world can submit their images of mantas to their global database, where the team will identify them. Yani tells us exactly how this works and how they can tell mantas apart by the distinctive patterns on their underside [50.55]. He also explains that if the manta is new to their database, the photo owner gets to name that individual! We then spend the last few minutes of our interview chatting about some of the weirdest and funniest names in the Manta Trust database (nugget or snickers, anyone?) [54.05].

About our guests

Manta Trust

The Manta Trust was founded in order to turn the tide for these enigmatic rays, by coordinating global research and conservation efforts around manta rays, their relatives, and their habitats.

The Save Our Seas Foundation has supported the Manta Trust from the outset, not only providing funding and guidance for its projects but also facilitating international cooperation among manta researchers to forge a global conservation plan of action.

Facebook: @mantatrust or @MaldivianMantaRayProject
Instagram: @mantatrust or @maldivianmantaproject
Twitter: @mantatrust
Website: MantaTrust.org

Simon Hilbourne

Simon is a researcher for the Manta Trust’s founding project the Maldivian Manta Ray Project. Having worked in the Maldives studying the reef manta ray population for a number of years, his work now focuses on the endangered oceanic manta rays that frequent Maldives waters seasonally. The project has documented a sizable population of oceanic manta rays which potentially face serious threats from nearby fisheries. Simon also manages the media and communications for the wider Manta Trust network.

Instagram: @s.hilbourne

Yani Mohamed

Yani is a manta ray researcher and educator for with the Manta Trust, based in Baa Atoll in the Maldives, where the World’s largest aggregation of the manta rays has been recorded. Yani’s focus is to empower local communities and guide them to the sea and build a generation of ocean guardians at a local level. Yani is currently leading a manta ray research pilot project at an understudied remote atoll. As he leads the research at this pilot project, he is also running a marine education program for some students from the local school on the island with the aim of developing manta researchers and ocean guardians from the island to research and take care of their own reef.

Instagram: @life_in_a_wetsuit

Lois Flounders

Lois is Regional Project Manager for the Maldivian Manta Ray Project currently based in Lhaviyani Atoll in the northeast of the Maldives. Here, she spends her days in the water researching the local population of reef manta rays. Lois’s work with the Manta Trust started during her master’s degree, which focused on the interactions between tuna fisheries and mobulids in the Indian Ocean. It’s not just tropical filter feeders though! Since 2019, Lois has also been a guide for Basking Shark Scotland working with the second largest fish in the ocean, in the cold (but equally as beautiful!) waters of the Hebrides. 

Instagram: @lois_flounders

Twitter: @lois_flounders