{"id":337545,"date":"2024-07-25T15:52:59","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T13:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=337545"},"modified":"2024-07-25T15:53:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T13:53:02","slug":"in-search-of-mega-rays-manta-rays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=337545","title":{"rendered":"In Search of Mega Rays & Manta Rays"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Amazing shot of Manta ray.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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From Jennifer Marohasy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0jennifer<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was diving at Wreck Beach Reef, Great Keppel Island, last Friday and I managed to photograph a Blue Spotted Fan Ray (Taeniura lyenma<\/em>) \u2013a regular stingray in the family Dasyatidae except with blue spots!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was my dive buddy Kirsty who spotted it while peering under one of the large boulder corals (the Porites spp.<\/em>) that are scattered around the perimeter of this reef.   There are usually painted sweetlips (Diagramma pictum<\/em>) on guard, that move only when you swim right up to them.   I managed to get my camera and myself underneath one of the boulder corals and then inside what turned out to be a reasonable sized cavity.  It was quite an effort, for a very ordinary photograph of a common ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I am an amateur photographer.  It is a memory \u2013 and a research grade observation now lodged at iNaturalist<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Spotted Fan Rays are magnificent creatures, but not megafauna.  They are small in the scheme of things, as far as rays go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My amateur effort at photographing a Blue Spotted Fan Ray at Wreck Beach Reef last Friday.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I have photographed a mega ray, specifically a Smalleye stingray, scientific name Megatrygon microps.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was at sunrise at the SS Yongala wreck dive site on May 6th<\/sup> this year.  It was the most magical encounter, as the Mega-trygon circled with three whiptail stingrays slipping and sliding on-top.   I have described how curious the stingray was in a blog post, CLICK HERE<\/a>.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My amateur photographs of the Smalleyed Ray at the SS Yongala wreck at sunrise on May 6th.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We are planning to dive the Yongala wreck \u2013 arguably one of the best ten dive sites in the world \u2013 as part of the Underwater Megafauna Photographic Competition and Expedition, departing Townsville Breakwater Marina on Monday 2nd September. This photographic competition has a category \u2018largest ray, shark or whale\u2019 and \u2018largest fish that is not a ray or shark\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There can be all of these at the Yongala!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve received some fabulous applications from some talented underwater photographers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three of the five spots have already been awarded. I will be letting the final two successful megafauna photographers know next Tuesday \u2013 that will then make five departing on the MV Sea Esta for four days and five nights, potentially 14 dives in total, with the last two dives at the Yongala, weather permitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not too late if you want to apply. But you need to get your application in before 5pm on Monday, July 29th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the biggest rays are the Manta Rays (family Myliobatidae, subfamily Mobulinae) that can reach over 6 metres across. That is mega!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are about 37 species in this family, with their eyes on the side of their head, which is not fattened. I\u2019ve scuba dived with Manta Rays at Lady Elliott Island, and at Shark Alley off Stradbroke Island. I\u2019m hoping that they will be at the Yongala for the Megafauna Expedition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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