In 2018, an analysis of DNA, and to a lesser degree, morphology, found that Mobula was paraphyletic with respect to the manta rays that is, some members of genus Mobula are closer related to the members of the genus Manta than they are to fellow Mobula, and the researchers recommended treating Manta as a junior synonym of Mobula. The genus Manta is part of the eagle ray family Myliobatidae, where it is grouped in the subfamily Mobulinae along with the smaller Mobula devil rays. ![]() Manta rays are members of the order Myliobatiformes which consists of stingrays and their relatives. Mantas are known as "devilfish" because of their horn-shaped cephalic fins, which are imagined to give them an "evil" appearance. The name "manta" is Portuguese and Spanish for mantle (cloak or blanket), a type of blanket-shaped trap traditionally used to catch rays. Only a few public aquariums are large enough to house them. Areas where mantas congregate are popular with tourists. They are protected in international waters by the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, but are more vulnerable closer to shore. Their slow reproductive rate exacerbates these threats. Anthropogenic threats include pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, and direct harvesting of their gill rakers for use in Chinese medicine. Like whales, they breach for unknown reasons.īoth species are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Mantas may visit cleaning stations for the removal of parasites. Gestation lasts over a year and mantas give birth to live pups. However, research suggests that the majority of their diet (73%) actually comes from mesopelagic sources. They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton, which they gather with their open mouths as they swim. alfredi tends to be resident and coastal. birostris migrates across open oceans, singly or in groups, while M. Mantas are found in warm temperate, subtropical and tropical waters. They have the largest brains and brain to body ratio of all fish, and can pass the mirror test. They are classified among the Myliobatiformes ( stingrays and relatives) and are placed in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays). Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins and large, forward-facing mouths. birostris, reaches 7 m (23 ft) in width, while the smaller, M. ![]() The pair mapped out the groundwork on the back of a napkin over beers a few years later and the Manta Trust was officially formed in 2011.Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus Mobula (formerly its own genus Manta). A need made more pressing by the fact that, at the time, no such organization existed. The combined experience of diving with hundreds of manta rays in the Maldives and then seeing the potentially devastating impacts of overfishing cemented the idea of forming an organization dedicated to studying and protecting mantas on a global scale, Peschak says. Paschak and Stevens next traveled to Sri Lanka, where manta rays are fished for their meat but more importantly, for their gill rakers which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. The fruits of this collaboration were published in the pages of National Geographic magazine, but the story didn’t end there. The abundance of mantas made this a perfect place to witness their behaviors but also see the potential threats of tourism and overfishing. Peschak’s introduction to manta rays began in 2008 when he accompanied scientist Guy Stevens on a trip to the Maldives, where Stevens was researching reef mantas. During the southwest monsoon season both mantas and enormous schools of baitfish feed on the microscopic riches upwelled by the trade winds that blow across the Indian Ocean every year.
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