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The research team has produced the first published study on the useof satellite telemetry to track the open-ocean journeys of theworld's largest ray, which can grow up to 25 feet in width.Researchers say the manta ray -- listed as "Vulnerable"by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) -- hasbecome increasingly threatened by fishing and accidental captureand now needs more protection. The study was published May 11 in the online journal PLoS ONE . The authors include: Rachel T. Graham of the WildlifeConservation Society and the University of Exeter; Matthew J. Wittof the University of Exeter; Dan W. Castellanos of the WildlifeConservation Society; Francisco Remolina of the National Commissionof Protected Areas, Cancun, Mexico; Sara Maxwell of the MarineConservation Institute and the University of California-Santa Cruz;Brenden J. Godley of the University of Exeter; and Lucy A. Hawkesof Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom. "Almost nothing is known about the movements and ecologicalneeds of the manta ray, one of the ocean's largest and least-knownspecies," said Dr. Rachel Graham, lead author on the study anddirector of WCS's Gulf and Caribbean Sharks and Rays Program."Our real-time data illuminate the previously unseen world ofthis mythic fish and will help to shape management and conservationstrategies for this species." The research team attached satellite transmitters to manta rays offthe coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula over a 13-day period. Thetracking devices were attached to the backs of six individuals --four females, one male, and one juvenile. "The satellite tag data revealed that some of the raystraveled more than 1,100 kilometers during the study period,"said Dr. Matthew Witt of the University of Exeter's Environment andSustainability Institute. "The rays spent most of their timetraversing coastal areas plentiful in zooplankton and fish eggsfrom spawning events." Like baleen whales and whale sharks, manta rays are filter feedersthat swim through clouds of plankton with mouths agape. The research team also found that the manta rays spent nearly alltheir time within Mexico's territorial waters (within 200 miles ofthe coastline), but only 11.5 percent of the locations gatheredfrom the tagged rays occurred within marine protected areas. Andthe majority of ray locations were recorded in major shippingroutes in the region; manta rays could be vulnerable to shipstrikes. "Studies such as this one are critical in developing effectivemanagement of manta rays, which appear to be decliningworldwide," said Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, Director of WCS's OceanGiant Program. In spite of its malevolent, bat-like appearance, the manta ray --sometimes referred to as the "devilfish" -- is harmlessto humans and lacks the stinger of the better-known stingray. Themanta ray possesses the highest brain to body ratio of all sharksand rays and gives birth to live young, usually one or two"pups" every one or two years. Manta rays are apparentlydeclining in the Caribbean and in other tropical regions of theworld's oceans, in part because they are captured for shark baitand a demand for gill rakers (small, finger-like structures thatfilter out the ray's minute zooplankton prey) in the traditionalChinese medicinal trade. I am an expert from disposable-razor.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Hotel Razors , China 4 Blade Disposable Razors, Twin Blade Disposable Razors,and more.
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