Tracked manta rays ignore national boundaries

Young giant mantas remained near coastal habitats while tracked adults often migrated across jurisdictions.

Wild Lands Ecological Intelligence Editor
Wild Lands Institute · 23 October 2026

Evidence: Peer-reviewed
Geography: Eastern Tropical Pacific off Central America, including Costa Rica and Cocos Island
System: Oceanic megafauna / shelf connectivity

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS

Researchers combined 59 acoustic tags, 12 satellite tags and photographic identification. Among the analysed adult movement subset, 75% crossed jurisdictional boundaries; immature cohorts made greater use of nearshore habitat.

WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ

Fixed protected areas need both local nursery protection and collaboration over adult migrations.

CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY

Tag coverage and the adult subset limit what can be inferred about the entire giant manta population.

SOURCE

Frontiers in Fish Science — manta ray telemetry (2026)
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