Scientists found out that reef manta rays are using marine-protected areas for a very long time. Marine experts find to hard to track sea creatures, preventing them from understanding the animals' behavior and migration patterns fully.
Ecuador shares the largest known population of oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) in the world!
Bajo Cope, ECUADOR pic.twitter.com/1zgdZv2hxY — Roberto Ochoa (@robertoochoahe) September 1, 2020
Armstrong said that their numbers are decreasing because of international trade in manta ray body parts, specifically gill plates used in traditional Chinese medicine.
She also added that manta rays' slow growth rate and few offspring means that they can take a long time to recover from disturbance. The scientists explained that knowing the key areas where these migratory animals like to gather is vital to save their species.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
