Overview
- The peer-reviewed paper, released 15 October in Frontiers in Marine Science, documents extreme deep diving by oceanic manta rays far offshore.
- Researchers tagged 24 individuals at Raja Ampat, Tumbes and northern New Zealand, logging 2,705 tag-days from eight recovered high-frequency tags and 16 satellite-reporting tags.
- Across 46,945 recorded dives, mantas exceeded 500 m on 79 days with a maximum depth of 1,250 m, and 71 of those extreme-dive days occurred off New Zealand as animals moved beyond the continental shelf.
- The dives featured stepped descents and ascents with little time at depth, were followed by surface recovery, and preceded highly directional travel sometimes covering around 200 km over subsequent days.
- Authors note the small, intermittent dataset and call for expanded tracking and international conservation that reflects reliance on both coastal and deep offshore habitats.