Over 1,000 manta rays, the large rhomboid-shaped flatfish reaching 5-6 meters in width, have been spotted in the Komodo National Park in Indonesia, a UNESCO World Heritage protected area covering 1,817 square kilometers between sea and several islands.
The discovery is due to the joint effort of the US Foundation for the Florida Megafauna Marina and the divers working inside the park, who managed to take more than 4,000 photographs of the many specimens.
According to the authors of the study, published in the journal PeerJ, the area could be the key to the recovery of threatened species.
One of the manta rays of the Komodo National Park (source: www.naturetripper.com)
“I was amazed by the responsiveness of the local diving community to help collect the necessary data on these endangered animals,” comments Elitza Germanov, head of the research team.
"Manta rays are one of the most iconic animals in our oceans," adds Andrea Marshall, one of the study's authors.
"The increase in the number of people diving and snorkeling - continues Marshall - as well as the advent of affordable underwater cameras, meant that photos and videos taken by tourists could be used to greatly speed up collection. some data".
Aerial view of Komodo National Park (source: Simon Pierce, www.naturetripper.com)
The images collected enriched the large online MantaMatcher database, which identifies and catalogs manta ray populations around the world.
The time and position information was then used to construct sighting chronologies for each specimen, which can then be analyzed to reconstruct its movements.
The results show that the places where tourists commonly observe manta rays are important for the feeding, cleaning and mating of these animals.
According to the researchers, this means that Komodo National Park should take countermeasures to limit disturbance in these areas.