{"id":25710,"date":"2018-12-06T00:05:31","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T08:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hakaimagazine.com\/?post_type=custom_news&p=25710"},"modified":"2023-02-08T15:27:52","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T23:27:52","slug":"watch-the-captivating-courtship-dance-of-manta-rays","status":"publish","type":"custom_news","link":"https:\/\/hakaimagazine.com\/news\/watch-the-captivating-courtship-dance-of-manta-rays\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch the Captivating Courtship Dance of Manta Rays"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past 14 years, scientists have been watching manta rays pick each other up at a known hotspot in the Maldives, recording 229 courtship events. They recently compiled their observations into a report<\/a> that is, according to Guy Stevens, founder of Manta Trust and lead author, \u201cthe most detailed window into the sex lives of mantas.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the two species of manta rays documented in the study, giant oceanic manta rays<\/a> and reef manta rays<\/a>, mate in different places and usually at different times of the year, their mating rituals are quite similar.<\/p>\n

The courtship often begins when a female releases pheromones that draw the attention of males in the vicinity. But when a male moves in, the female zooms off. Other males may also join the chase, and with the males in hot pursuit, the female twists and turns in the water, deking around obstacles and navigating at high speed in an effort to judge her suitors\u2019 physical prowess. To attract more males to choose from, she may breach the surface in acrobatic leaps.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears that it\u2019s all building the excitement, trying to engage as many males in the event as possible, which gives her maximum choice later on in the process,\u201d Stevens says.<\/p>\n