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Scientists Find Only The Third Manta Ray Nursery in the World, “Right Under Our Nose” Off Florida Coast
The third manta ray nursery ever discovered has been identified off the busy coast of South Florida, near Juno Beach and St. Lucie Inlet.
Science & Tech
In what is only the third-such discovery in science, an ultra-rare manta ray nursery was found right under scientists’ noses off the busy coast of South Florida.
It was discovered after scientists observed a large concentration of juveniles off a 58-mile stretch of coast from the St. Lucie Inlet to Boynton Beach.
Most of the juveniles were seen many times over in the same area across a period of years.
Experts know of only two other nurseries, one in the Gulf of Mexico and the other in Indonesia, and the discovery of a third unlocks various new avenues of study: The graceful glider’s breeding habits are almost entirely a mystery, so an opportunity to study them close to home for U.S. scientists is good news.
How they manage to survive and stay relaxed while swimming through the waters in front of beach resorts like Margaritaville and Mar-a-Lago, however, is something that creates far more questions than answers.
Rays, an ancient animal species that evolved alongside plants, are not well understood.