Manta Ray Breaching

Manta Ray Breaching

By: Lindsey Green

<http://www.arkive.org/manta-ray/manta-birostris/image-G123561.html>.

How I Got Started

• Georgia Aquarium Internship– Alex: Mentor– Designed proposal based on needed

research information– Constructed Manta Ray ethogram

• Recorded location of breaching

Background• Taxonomy:

– Manta birostris– Manta alfredi

• Nandi

– Manta sp.• Tallulah, Manta 3, and Manta 4

• Location:– 35 north and south latitude– Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Madagascar, Thailand, China, and southern Japan– Manta Ray Captivity:

• Georgia Aquarium, the Atlantis aquarium in Nassau, the Lisbon Oceanarium in Portugal, and the Osaka Kaiyukan and the Okinawa aquariums in Japan.

Alex

Background Continued• Research Conducted:

– The Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research, Inc.

– The Manta Sight Project in Australia

– Manta Pacific Research Foundation

• Age structure• Patterns in movement• Oceanographic conditions affecting

habitat use• Population size• Reproduction

<http://www.arkive.org/manta-ray/manta-birostris/image-G123561.html>.

Background Continued• Breaching:

– When Manta Rays breaks the surface of the water and jumps out then dives back in as a result of feeding behavior

– Whales, great white sharks, dolphins, marlin, mobula

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Proposal• Questions:

– Does Nandi breach after every meal when we meet at the aquarium?

– Where does Nandi usually breach (referring to North, South, East, and West ends of the Ocean Voyager tank)

Alex

Proposal• Hypothesis:

– Nandi will have individualized habits, including breaching behavior. Nandi will breach most frequently at the south end of the tank after her feeding in the morning.

Alex

Proposal• Methods:

– Observe feeding at 10am or 2:30pm

• Vary visits during the week to get a variety of data

– Video tape every possible breach that Nandi does

– Record location and observe orientation of how she breached on data sheet

– Make a graph comparing time vs. location of breach

Results

• Data Sheet • Go to Ethogram

Results Continued

• Compiled Spread Sheet of Data

Results Continued

Results Continued

Results Continued

Contradicting to the Hypothesis

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Results Continued

Reflection on the Hypothesis

• Fail to reject the Hypothesis:– Location (south end of the tank)– After Feedings

• Reject the Hypothesis:– Time of when Nandi Breached in the

Afternoon

Alex

Conclusions

• Based on the data:– Nandi Breaches Frequently

• Results from feeding behavior– Ex: barrel rolls

– Nandi Breaches in the Afternoon– Nandi Breaches mostly at the South end of the

tank• Results from this is where she finishes feeding• Depends if she wants to breach right away or wait

– Nandi Breaches mostly after feedings• Results from her wanting to eat all of her food

The Value of these Results• Benefits research about Manta Rays

– Considering not a lot is known about them

• Better understanding of breaching behavior– Educates the public

• Develops and further progresses the knowledge about manta rays– In the wild and captivity

• Gives a future layout of an ethogram and data sheet for interns – Gives consistency in gathering data

• Furthers the idea of possibly training the manta rays to breach on command

Bibliography• Alex Collier (Mentor)• Georgia Aquarium Interns’ past research (Kate Powell and Reina Hasagawa)• Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research, Inc. Hawaii Association for Marine Education and

Research, Inc., 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. <http://www.hamerhawaii.com/ Main%20Web%20Pages/ Education/ Marine %20Life/ Rays/ manta_rays.htm>.

• Information and Facts about Manta Rays. Mantaray World. Infoqis Publishing, Co., 2009. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. <http://www.mantaray-world.com/>.

• Larson, Keith W, and Jesus Eduardo Martinez Leyva. Waterbirds: The International Journal of Waterbird Biology. N.p.: Waterbird Society, 2007. JSTOR. Web. 26 Apr. 2012.

<http://www.jstor.org/stable/4501852>. • "Manta ray." Arkive: Images of Life on Earth. Wildscreen and Arkive, 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012.

<http://www.arkive.org/manta-ray/manta-birostris/image-G123561.html>. • "Manta Ray Research." The Foundation for the Protection of Marine Megafauna. The

Foundation for the Protection of Marine Megafauna, 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://marinemegafauna.org/mantarays/>.

• Marshall, A., L. Compagno, and M. Bennett, Redescription of the genus Manta with resurrection of Manta alfredi (Krefft,1868) (Chondrichthyes; Myliobatoidei; Mobulidae). Zootaxa, 2009.

• Notarbartolo-di-Sciara, Giuseppe, and Elizabeth V Hillyer. Copeia Vol. 1989, No. 3. N.p.: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), 1989. JSTOR. Web. 24 Apr. 2012.

<http://www.jstor.org/stable/1445487?&Search=yes&searchText =Breaching&searchText=anta&searchText=Ray&list=hide&searchUri= %2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DManta%2BRay%2BBreaching% 26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=2&ttl=3&returnArticleService=show FullText>.