Research aims
Based at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Project Manta is bringing together scientists, industry partners and the general public to establish important baseline data of manta rays and their relatives.
With very little known about manta rays, Project Manta aims to provide important baseline data that can be used to support their long-term conservation, while supporting economic and social benefits through ecotourism.
Find out more about the aims of Project Manta.
Research approaches
Feeding ecology
Feeding ecology examines diet and feeding behaviours, as well as the location of resources, and the role of species in food webs.
Feeding ecology is helping us to understand:
- Drivers for animal movements (both broad scale and fine scale);
- Reasons for aggregative behaviour;
- Resource availability;
- Critical habitat use to help inform conservation efforts.
Tagging
We use a variety of electronic tags to investigate broad scale migration, diving behaviour, and fine scale movements.
Tagging is enabling us to:
- Track manta rays in all conditions otherwise unsuitable for manual monitoring (night-time, offshore, rough sees);
- Track the long-distance activity of individual animals;
- Provide reliable movement pattern data to understand habitat use and behaviour;
- Monitor movements between key aggregation sites.
Photo identification
We use photo identification (photo-ID) to track individual animals based on their unique body patterns, with 'citizen scientists' contributing significantly to our database.
Photo-ID is helping us to:
- Estimate population size of species using an approach called mark-recapture;
- Investigate the movement patterns and behaviours of individual animals between different locations;
- Find out more about population demographics, age at maturity, reproductive activity and incidence of injuries.
Genetic analyses
DNA is found in the cells of all living organisms, and it provides a blueprint of their history over different time frames.
Genetic analyses can help us to:
- Investigate the connectivity between Australian manta ray populations and their neighbours;
- Estimate population sizes;
- Examine close kinship and relatedness between family members.
Related News
Find out the latest about Project Manta
Inside a manta ray ‘cyclone’: Mass feeding frenzies hold clues to ocean giant’s future
University of the Sunshine Coast researchers believe rare 'manta ray' feeding cyclones could provide much needed answers in an urgent global search for insights on the vulnerable ocean giants.
UniSC secures grants to research iconic species across Queensland
From grey nurse sharks in Moreton Bay and birds of prey on K’gari to manta rays off Cairns and sawfish in Cape York – UniSC has gained new funding for research and citizen science projects to help protect some of the state’s most iconic and threatened species.
Study to uncover secrets of hidden manta ray habitat
An urgent exploratory study is underway after the discovery of an unknown manta ray habitat off the northern tip of UNESCO World Heritage-listed K’gari, the world’s largest sand island.
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