Malapascua is famous for its Thresher Sharks at Monad Shoal but what many don’t know is that we have some great opportunities for spotting other big creatures!
Apart from the Pelagic Threshers that come to Monad’s cleaning stations, we sometimes also see Eagle Rays, White Tip Reef Sharks, Grey Reef Sharks and Devil Rays throughout the year. Once we even had a sighting of a Lemon shark! If that is not enough, during the months of June-August (and other random moments) we also have a chance to see the solitary and mysterious Pelagic Manta Ray! These massive giants of the seas can be up to 7 meters wide and weigh up to 2,000 kg. They are gentle behemoths and feed on tiny zooplankton. They have their cephalic fins that ‘roll’ up, which help scoop plankton into their mouths. They can look like they have horns, which often lead to misidentification as Devil Rays which are much smaller.
There are two types of Mantas, the reef mantas (Manta alfredi) and the oceanic mantas (Manta birostris) and both types can be easily identified by their spot pattern on their belly. Just like humans have finger prints as unique identifiers, each manta has a unique spot pattern. Manta Research agencies use the belly spot patterns to track Manta movements and their information – so if you see one, try to take a photo of the belly and submit it to Manta Trust for their database!
Just recently we had the pleasure of spending a full hour with one of these giants and it was about a 4-5 meter female of the oceanic (Pelagic) Manta species, which means…manta season has arrived in Malapascua again!
So come and join us and have the chance to see them with us at Evolution! For more details contact us on info@evolution.com.ph
