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.
If you had to eat 12% of your body weight every single week.
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Fun fact? Manta rays eat a LOT. They have to eat 12% of their body weight per week in order to sustain themselves.
And since their food is tiny (most of their diet is composed of small and microscopic organisms), they end up eating whenever it's available - by opening their cavernous mouth and swimming through plankton-rich areas.
Over the course of the millennia, they have developed pretty intricate and interesting techniques to find their food and feed - both solo and in group settings, working together to get their daily meals.
In one of my latest article, I went into the mechanics of filter-feeding - as well as the fun and intricate ways they have to get to their food.
| Read more about the manta rays' feeding techniques here! |
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Aloha, Martina |
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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, Today, I'd like to take a sidestep from writing about saving manta rays and ocean conservation... and ask you to join in a personal celebration. 1998- 25 years ago was the best and the worst year of my life. I had just lost my husband at a young age and was going through a deep grieving period. I started traveling with the destination Hawaii... and after my first dive with the manta rays, everything changed. The deep transformation that washed over me made me realize there was...
Aloha Reader, Q: Are manta rays mammals? A: No, they're not - they are most definitely fish. Q: Ah, so they lay eggs? A: Yes... but it's not what you think... This is one of the most frequently asked questions at our Manta Ray Moonlight Swim - and one I love to answer as it opens up a fun conversation about this magnificent fish. And then, there is this one word I usually avoid when talking about the mantas' reproduction, even though it’s an important part of what they are: “ovoviviparous”....
Aloha Reader, After the devastating wildfires in Maui and the destruction of Lahaina on 08/08, I needed a few days to regain my emotional balance. A smaller fire also occurred on the Mauna Kea Beach hotel's grounds, so all together, it hit very close to home. I've received many heartfelt messages from around the world, and I want to thank everyone who thought of us here in Hawaii. We are doing well. I'm not one for sending emails for the sake of sending emails, but the last couple of weeks...