The discovery of the first known manta ray nursery was a happy accident

The world’s first confirmed manta ray nursery was found thanks to some good luck.

Marine scientist Joshua Stewart, was working to connect the dots between manta ray populations that live near each other at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

SEE ALSO: Fishermen stumble upon a 16-foot manta ray while out at sea

What he found instead, according to a new study published in Marine Biology, was something he had barely seen in his seven years of manta ray research: a juvenile manta ray.

“On my very first dive, I saw a manta right away. [Researchers at Flower Garden Banks] had already told me that the rays there were small, so I wasn’t shocked,” Stewart said in an interview.  Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/2018/06/22/first-manta-ray-nursery-discovered/
via Middlesbrough