First photographic records of the giant manta ray off eastern Australia
Published on 31. October 2014
First photographic records of the giant manta ray Manta birostris
off eastern Australia
Lydie I. E. Couturier, Fabrice R. A. Jaine, Tom Kashiwagi
ABSTRACT:
We present the first photographic evidence of the presence of the giant manta ray Manta birostris in east Australian waters. Two individuals were photographed off Montague Island in New South Wales and off the north east coast of Tasmania, during summer 2012 and 2014, respectively. These sightings confirm previous unverified reports on the species occurrence and extending the range of M. birostris to 40ºS. We discuss these findings in the context of the species’ migratory ecology, the regional oceanography along the south eastern Australian coastline and local productivity events.
PeerJ PrePrints 2:e572v1