Manta rays are beautiful and majestic animals that have a life-changing effect on people who meet them. I want to protect them so humans can experience their transformational power for generations to come! My goal is to inspire people so they take action to protect the mantas' ecosystem and oceans all around the world.
Caribbean, Atlantic, The Name Is Irrelevant - it's a new species of manta ray!
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Have you ever had the feeling that everything you thought you knew about the world just went out the window? The first time that happened to manta ray enthusiasts around the world, was around 2009, when scientists confirmed there was not just one, but two species of manta rays. There were enough differences between reef mantas (Mobula alfredi) and pelagic or oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) to identify them as two different species. Reef mantas are the ones we see almost every night at the moonlight manta swim, while pelagic mantas cover longer distances and don't come as close to the coastal reefs. And now... it happened again 🤩🤩. Manta researcher Andrea Marshall always thought there was a third species, but it proved difficult to identify. For over a decade, she and other researchers worked tirelessly to collect the proof for its existence. Earlier this year, several publications reported on a potential third species that they tentatively called the "Caribbean" manta ray, as most individuals that matched that description had been spotted in Caribbean waters. And in July, it became official: the Atlantic manta (that turns out to be a more accurate description of their habitat than "Caribbean") has been recognized as the third species of manta ray. Its scientific name is Mobula yarae - after Yara, a water spirit from Brazilian mythology. ​ We've collected everything we know so far about the Atlantic manta ray in this article, and we've started updating all the other information on our website to reflect the third species. That might take a while, though, as we've got hundreds of pages and articles to edit now! What an exciting time for all of us who care deeply about manta rays!
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Martina Wing
Manta rays are beautiful and majestic animals that have a life-changing effect on people who meet them. I want to protect them so humans can experience their transformational power for generations to come! My goal is to inspire people so they take action to protect the mantas' ecosystem and oceans all around the world.
Aloha Reader, If you've been following me for a while, you know this about me: I'm not afraid to speak my truth. And with recent global and local developments, I've been looking for other avenues to share wonderful and inspiring stories of hope and engagement. One of those "other avenues" is the Ocean Wings podcast, where I invite guests to explore how nature can reconnect us to what really matters in life. The tagline, "From Manta Ray Magic to Meaningful Change," hopefully resonates with...
Aloha Reader, After 25+ years of taking people to swim with manta rays, we've heard some pretty interesting questions. Most of our guests are amazing - they come prepared, respect the ocean, and understand that we're entering the mantas' home as visitors. But sometimes, we get questions that make us stop and wonder if we live in the same reality, so today's email will be a bit punchy... Like the parents who asked to leave their young kids alone on a dark, isolated beach while they joined the...
Aloha Reader, One of the most amazing things about manta rays is their effortless gliding through the water. This goes beyond just swimming: they've developed elaborate techniques to feed (alone or in groups), they've been seen jumping out of the water (called breaching, and it's pretty spectacular!), and they're known to cross vast distances at high speeds. A long time ago, I sold a VHS tape (remember those?) to aerospace engineers, and they bought it for the sole purpose of simulating the...