Expedition 41: Florida Manta Rays

Lead by Florida Manta Project scientist Jessica Pate, the expedition team spent 5 days conducting manta ray research off of Palm Beach County and Martin County, Florida. Scientists used drones to observe and identify marine animals, including sharks, fish and rays, from above. When a manta ray was spotted, researchers carefully approached the animal via small boat. Once on site, the first researchers in the water observed the manta ray’s behavior, identified the individual if known, collected photos and made measurements using laser photogrammetry. When possible, the manta ray was also equipped with a tracking tag (e.g. satellite, acoustic).

Once valuable data and measurements were collected, additional team members captured video footage of the manta’s behaviors. All of these data will be combined by Digital Life 3D to accurately build and animate a 3D model of a juvenile manta ray. While eight individuals were identified during the expedition, only one will be chosen to model. The final result will be used as an invaluable resource for educators, scientists and conservationists.

ANGARI Foundation and Digital Life also worked together on a prior expedition to create an accurate 3D model of the great hammerhead shark Nemesis.

In order to better understand the geographical habitat of local manta rays, the expedition team regularly sampled the water column using plankton tows. Zooplankton is a main component of a manta ray’s diet, and its presence may be correlated to the animals’ behaviors and migration practices. During the five days, 19 plankton samples were collected offshore from Palm Beach to Port St. Lucie.

Additionally, while observing marine life from a drone, researchers often get the opportunity for unexpected wildlife sightings. During one of this expedition’s aerial drone surveys, the scientists were delighted to come across and capture on film rarely observed eagle ray mating behavior. This observation will provide new insights into ray research and further understanding eagle ray behaviors.

Special thanks to Kenneth S. Morton who made this expedition possible and assisted with field support, and to Jonathan Bayuk for fiscally sponsoring the Digital Life model.