Fabulous Photos Friday: Manta Madness in Ecuador!

I am in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador, volunteering with the Marine Megafauna Foundation, taking photographs of Manta Rays for Identification in order to discern manta behaviors and migrations. Four or five years ago I saw a documentary about the work Dr. Andrea Marshall was doing with manta rays, a species which was virtually unstudied. She has discovered that there is more than one species! My interest in the project led me first to Tofo, Mozambique, where Marine Megafauna was founded, and now to Ecuador. The population of manta rays here is unbelievable! Yesterday, they were all over the place, one after another! Here are also many admirable people from whom I am learning a great deal. The town of Puerto Lopez is….developing. Maybe not fast enough, but it has possibilities! These photos are from my first week of photographing such a large species, so don’t be too critical!

The eye of a manta ray is filled with intelligence.

Mantas are identified by their markings on their bellies. — Mantas are identified by the markings on their bellies.

Butterflyfish clean the manta rays at "cleaning stations". — Butterflyfish clean the manta rays at “cleaning stations”.

This manta seems to have some eye damage.

I am filled with wonder as I watch them!

Gorgeous Manta! With hitch hikers, remoras.

You can find mantas deep or shallow in the water column. They can be above or below you!

Mantas can be up to 6 or 7 meters wing tip to wing tip! They are huge...but very gentle. — Mantas can be up to 6 or 7 meters wing tip to wing tip! They are huge…but very gentle.

This poor manta has a sharp cut cephallic fin. — This poor manta has a sharply cut cephallic fin….probably fishing line or a boat.

And why would I be interested in Mantas? Well, when I was growing up we vacationed in Ft. Lauderdale, FL every summer. Every summer we would see Mantas, though we were called out of the water because of how dangerous they were (they are completely harmless, without even a stinger). I fell in love with their size and graceful movements. But humans are hard on mantas…. Manta Rays are very vulnerable and endangered. We must do everything we can to keep these beautiful creatures in our oceans.