In this area, we’ve estimated that the population is over 22,000 mantas, which is unprecedented.” In other regions, we typically have population estimates of 1,000 to 2,000 animals, which makes this species very sensitive. “It’s clear that something different is happening here,” Stewart said. The research, published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, was led by Fundación Megafauna Marina del Ecuador, a conservation organisation based in Ecuador, in collaboration with The Manta Trust, the Marine Megafauna Foundation, and the Ocean Ecology Lab at OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute.Īccording to Joshua Stewart, an assistant professor with the Marine Mammal Institute in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences and a co-author of the paper, these findings indicate that, while other populations of oceanic manta rays are typically small and therefore extremely vulnerable to human impacts, this population is large and potentially quite healthy. Incredibly, scientists involved in the study identified a distinct population of oceanic manta rays off the coast of Ecuador that is more than ten times larger than any other known subpopulation of the species.

As reported by the Manta Trust, a recent study has confirmed Ecuador’s manta population to be the largest on earth.

Biggest giant oceanic manta ray