Project Manta | Non-profit organisation
Project Manta
Address: The University of Queensland 4067 St Lucia, QLD, Australia
Website: http://www.projectmanta.org
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25.01.2022 Meet "Boppa", the newest addition to our east coast database. Boppa was named as a tribute to the photographers grandfather, who first inspired his love for snorkelling and the oceans. And it's not entirely clear in the video, but we think he is an immature male, at well under 2 metres (look at the size of that slender suckerfish in comparison to the manta!) Boppa was first seen in Manta Ray Bay off Hook Island in the Whitsundays last month. We have now recorded nearly 1400 ...manta rays on the east coast, but we still add new individuals all the time. If you have any old manta ray photographs or videos, we want to see them, and who knows, you might be naming your own manta ray! #ProjectManta James Vodicka
24.01.2022 It might not be manta season around Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, but lucky for us one of the stars of the east coast still showed up! We bumped into "Taurus" (#134) on one of our Leaf to Reef: Biodiversity of Lady Elliot Island research dives. Taurus is potentially the oldest known manta ray in the world. First sighted as a mature male in 1982 and seen over 50 times in these waters. Lucky for us, he's not camera shy #ProjectManta... Asia Haines
22.01.2022 ***CONTENT WARNING*** Manta mating event filmed in Indonesia! Courtship trains are often observed, but it is very rare for manta rays to be caught in the act. Watch the video to see how the male holds onto the females left pectoral fin with his mouth. This action leaves the female with mating scars that are visible after the act, and can inform scientists about the maturity of female rays, and whether they have recently been engaged in reproductive activity. And interesting fact, it’s almost always the left pectoral fin that the males choose!
22.01.2022 Finally!!! #WorldMantaDay It is fairly unbelievable that our finned friends have been overlooked for so long, but I'm sure you all agree they are worth celebrating! Keep an eye out for a competition we'll be launching in the coming days to help celebrate this inaugural event (Now we just need a manta emoji!)... #ProjectManta
21.01.2022 Have you heard the news? There is FINALLY a #worldmantaday Join us tomorrow, the 17th of September, for the first year of celebrating these incredible animals. We are running a competition where you have the opportunity to NAME A MANTA! Just check our latest post for more details - votes must be in by the end of today, and the winner will be announced tomorrow! And to learn more about this inaugural event and these magnificent animals, follow the link below: https://www.worldmantaday.com/
19.01.2022 When life gives you lemons, make lemonade... Having a deceased devil ray (in this case Mobula eregoodoo) wash up on the beach presents a rare opportunity for researchers to increase our understanding of this near threatened species. Read on to see what Dr Kathy Townsend of #ProjectManta found when she was asked to examine this specimen from North Stradbroke Island...
18.01.2022 Did you know that #ProjectManta has now catalogued almost 1400 individual reef manta rays off the east coast of Australia? And we couldn't do what we do without the help of our #CitizenScience community and their fantastic support of our research. So on this #WorldMantaDay we'd love to celebrate some of these #MantaHeroes - starting with one of our new supporters, Jordan Robins Photography! ... We were lucky enough to meet Jordan on our recent fieldwork at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort and he was kind enough to share these beautiful ID photos of the mantas he shared the water with - enjoy! Jordan Robins Photography
18.01.2022 Calling all teachers and educators - please take the time to fill out this survey to help our colleagues at #MantaTrust build educational materials for the next generation of #MantaHeroes
17.01.2022 To celebrate the first #WorldMantaDay on the 17th of September, we are running a "name a manta" competition! This lovely female was seen for the first time on our recent fieldwork to Lady Elliot Island, and she needs a name! To enter the competition, all you need to do is (1) Comment your naming preference and the reason for your choice, (2) Tag a friend you'd like to see a manta with, and (3) Share the post to spread the word about World Manta Day! #ProjectManta... Photo credit: Asia Haines See more
15.01.2022 Need some Vitamin Sea?!? Check out this guided tour of one of our favourite study sites from the team at Biopixel! Spoiler alert: #ProjectManta gets a mention
14.01.2022 The mantas are back in force off Straddie! When you head out with the crew at Manta Lodge YHA and Scuba Centre make sure to take those all important photo IDs and submit them to #ProjectManta - and you never know, you might get to name your own Manta!
14.01.2022 Happy #WorldMantaDay To kick off the festivities we are announcing the winner(s) of our "name a manta" competition! Meet #1371 "Alirsea's Wish" - this name was chosen as a combination of two of the name suggestions entered. "Alirsea" is a tribute to Pheonix Gatlin's little rainbow child <3 And "Wish" was suggested by Louise Smith because the manta ray pattern looks like a wishbone! We thought this combination was the most fitting name for this majestic animal :)... But that is not all, both winners will receive a coveted #ProjectManta t-shirt to commemorate this inaugural day!
13.01.2022 Happy World Manta Day from Australia’s Project Manta! Share your favourite photos and memories of the gentle ocean flappy flaps with us! #worldmantaday
12.01.2022 We have some exciting manta news! Our friends at The Manta Trust and the Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative are partnering up to carry out a month of exciting manta research in Papua New Guinea. The Conflict Islands atoll boasts more than half the world’s coral species, making it one of the richest natural habitats in the world and is also home to a population of both Oceanic and Reef manta rays which we know very little about. If the study is successful it will hopefully lead to a new manta research project. Their target is $5000. If they don't reach their target by the 3rd February, they won't receive a penny! If you want to find out more about this amazing project and help by making a pledge, please visit the link below; https://bit.ly/3b9APHw
12.01.2022 How cool is this infographic from our colleagues at the Manta Trust! These submissions are from the Maldives and just go to show the incredible contribution of #citizenscientists from around the world! Watch this space, and we’ll try and show you what those stats look like for our Australian Manta ray populations!
09.01.2022 A good way to end a strange year - blowing bubbles at one of the east coasts most southern manta sites, the Solitary Islands Marine Park! Big thanks to Jetty Dive for taking us out and showing us all that these sub-tropical rocky reefs have to offer! It is a bit early in the season for manta rays, but there was plenty of action with grey nurse sharks and some of their finned friends. From the whole team at #ProjectManta, we want to extend our thanks to all our supporters and wish you all the best for the new year - 2021!
08.01.2022 Want the world to know all about the incredible "superpowers" of manta rays??? Please vote to have them added to the ANiMOZ card game of Aussie animals, where players fight for the survival of threatened species! Our friends at Manta Trust have nominated #ReefMantaRays and we'd love you all to throw your support behind them! Voting only takes 3.6 seconds (time is approximated).
08.01.2022 Well you can see how this manta got his name! Meet "Curious", #186 in the #ProjectManta east coast sightings database. He was first seen in 2008 off North Stradbroke Island and has been seen a handful of times between Straddie and Lady Elliot Island, with this latest sighting from Manta Lodge YHA and Scuba Centre. Thanks as ever for your outstanding photos David Biddulph!
07.01.2022 ***New Research Alert*** After 15 years of field and lab work our colleagues at the Marine Megafauna Foundation have published the first population genetics study on reef manta rays in Mozambique! Using genomic markers, researchers examined the variability amongst individuals at different sites along the south-east African coast, and found them to belong to one intermixing population, which can be considered a single unit for the sake of management and conservation.... In collaboration with #ProjectManta, the study also found that manta rays from the Australian coastline were genetically isolated from those along the African coastline. #HappyMantaMonday Read all about it in the blog post below, or access the full article here: https://rdcu.be/b7XS3
06.01.2022 Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone! I think this year is going to be a strange one for many, so we wanted to leave you with some dreamy watery imagery from where we'd all rather be Olivia Cornale
06.01.2022 *** New Research Alert*** Our latest paper, led by #ProjectManta PhD student Amelia Armstrong, reveals connectivity between two world heritage areas on the west coast of Australia. Prior to this study, very little was known about the movements of reef manta rays out of the Ningaloo Reef region, however we combined multiple approaches - satellite tagging and photographic identification - to show the connectivity and importance of this region and the Shark Bay world heritage a...rea for manta rays, and that the rays at these sites exhibit long term residency :) If you want the long version, read all about it below - and the good news is it's #OpenAccess so everyone can enjoy!
05.01.2022 The giant manta ray is now listed as an endangered species. As devastating as this news is, this uplisted status does provide a spotlight on the species and further grounds to focus on improving its conservation status. Here in Australia very little is known about this species with less than 50 confirmed sightings! If you have ever seen a giant manta ray in Australian waters please do share your experience with #ProjectManta
04.01.2022 Looks like it's peak hour for cleaning off North Stradbroke Island at the moment, and the manta rays have to learn to share with their flappy friends (even when the vis is this good!) Beautiful capture by Anitaongmedia
