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		Isla de la Plata in Ecuador is host during a very short month every year to a migratory population of manta rays. The main population consists of chevron mantas, but there is also a much smaller presence of nearly all black specimens. These are not a seperate species but a distictly different colouration. These manta birostris can be individually identified by the markings on their underside. We have so far identified over 20 individuals, and the population we think might be as much as double this number. We want to achieve funding to extend the project to correctly identify as many individuals as possible, and to hopefully satelllite tag some individuals to find out where they go when they are not present at this small eastern pacific island. We would also like to find out why they arrive here at almost the same dates every year and what they do whilst they are here. These incredible ghostly looking giants could be under threat from fishing pressure and such information once collected could help to save them. Contact us to discuss helping out on this project.
		Click on the thumbnail to see the manta video clip. This is a short one minute film of the manta rays that we want to study on the isla de la plata. It's around 10 mb in size. A new page will open with this video which is embedded on Stage6. I have started using the DivX codec system of compression which is without doubt the best way to compress video for web use. You will need to download the DivX player to play it, there is a link on the new page if you don't have this already. Also, don't forget to enable active content if your browser prevents the screen from opening.