MMF’s first MEGA Expeditions took place in Mozambique in June and August 2019. Read on to find out more about this once in a lifetime experience, and why the August expedition group were called “team smalleye” by the end…

Manta rays form social relationships and actively choose their social partners, a new study has revealed. Research published today by scientists from the Marine Megafauna Foundation, Macquarie University, the University of Papua, and the University of York is the first to describe the structure of social relationships in manta rays.

Scientists from the Marine Megafauna Foundation and Murdoch University are reporting a large number of juvenile manta rays in the waters of Nusa Penida, a small island 18km southeast of Bali, suggesting the area may be a nursery for this threatened species.

Have you ever seen a black manta ray and wondered what makes it that color? Or whether the darker coloration has any effect on the way the animal lives and behaves. In a new study – the first to investigate melanism in a marine species – scientists set out to learn more about this fascinating color variation.

MMF has discovered that the shallow, coastal waters of south Florida may be a nursery ground for giant manta rays.

In 2018, Nilza de Catarina joined MMF as part of our Fellowship Program. In the space of one year she learnt how to swim AND dive! As well as assisting with research into manta rays and whale sharks in the Tofo region. Read on to hear about her experience…

Janis and April joined MMF from Udayana University to support our research project on the microplastics found in and around the manta ray’s feeding ground in Nusa Penida. Read on to hear about their findings…

Smalleye stingrays are the largest marine stingrays on record, reaching disc widths of up to 222 cm, and yet almost nothing is known about them. Scientists from the Marine Megafauna Foundation have for the first time used photo IDs to study this elusive animal in southern Mozambique, one of the only locations where it is regularly seen in the wild. Their findings were published in the scientific journal PeerJ.

Plastic pollution has a tremendous impact on marine life – and reef manta rays and whale sharks are not spared from it. These large filter-feeders swallow hundreds to thousands of cubic meters of plankton-filled water every day, and with it, tiny plastic pieces from broken down carrier bags and single-use packaging, a new study has found.

Bohol, Philippines, August 6, 2018, A new scientific publication “Life History, Growth, and Reproductive Biology of Four Mobulid Species in the Bohol Sea, Philippines” has been published in the Journal Frontiers in Marine Science. The study by Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) was lead by researcher Joshua Rambahiniarison and aimed to determine life history and reproductive parameters for several mobulids caught in the Philippines to provide vital information on the sustainability of the exploitation and consumptive use of these megafaunas, at the country level and worldwide.

Scientists have found incredibly high numbers of reef sharks in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP), Philippines. The numbers are higher than most other marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world and highlight the importance of large, well-managed marine protected areas like TRNP for the conservation of reef-associated sharks and rays. These results provide hope for shark conservation in the Coral Triangle, where many populations are in a state of decline.

Janis Argeswara and Raka Wulandari two of our interns in Nusa Lembongan, Bali give a very interesting insight into the day-to-day activities they were involved in at the Marine Megafauna Foundation.

Plastic pollution has recently gained increasing attention for its effects on marine mammals, fish and birds. However, it is still not fully understood to what extent small pieces of plastic, known as microplastics, impact marine life and ecosystems.

Samples of muscle tissue from giant manta rays are helping researchers to better understand the elusive species’ feeding habits, and how they might be impacted by fishing activity and climate change.

MMF Principal Scientist Chris Rohner has led a groundbreaking study into preferred whale shark habitats using ‘robot sharks’ and comparing their digital movements to the movements of real whale sharks. Chris and his team found that the real whale sharks preferred the coastal waters of southern Mozambique (between Zavora, Tofo and Pomene), where the water was cooler, richer in chlorophyll-a and shallower than in the semi-randomly moving robot sharks' habitat.

It is a truly exciting time for MMF's Indonesian Manta Ray Program. This year we have reached groundbreaking milestones in understanding the local populations of manta rays. With the increase of sighting records to 15,000, we’re able to understand their behaviour much better.

MMF Principal Scientist, Dr Chris Rohner, hosted two Aqua-Firma groups on a whale shark research and photography trip to Mexico in July/August 2017. Together with our local collaborator, Rafael de la Parra from Ch’ooj Ajauil, we conducted eight boat surveys to the world’s largest known aggregation of whale sharks east of Isla Contoy on the Yucatán Peninsula. There, whale sharks come together to feed on fish eggs, and in the past over 400 individual sharks were counted in one spot from the air.