Rachel\u2019s device is essentially a manta ray Fitbit, allowing us to better understand marine megafauna.<\/p>\n
Soon, every beat of the ray\u2019s wing-like fins, every turn and dive, every reaction to its environment will be recorded.<\/p>\n
GONNA BE GOLDEN<\/p>\n
For Dr Ben D\u2019Antonio \u2013 a research scientist at the<\/a> Shark Research Foundation<\/a> and UWA Oceans Institute \u2013 we\u2019re in the \u201cgolden age\u201d of animal tracking.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been this real plethora of technologies that\u2019s come out with human wearables such as smart watches and phones,\u201d says Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can essentially put that same technology on animals to track them across ocean basins, thousands of kilometres and also to thousands of metres deep into the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n This technology is used to create small devices called biologgers<\/a>. They provide scientists with information on an animal\u2019s movement, energy consumption and responses to environmental change.\u00a0<\/p>\n Older tracking technologies such as satellite<\/a> or acoustic tags<\/a> map animal movement but offer limited insights on other factors.<\/p>\n \u201cPreviously with manta rays, we\u2019ve only been able to put satellite tags and acoustic tags on them, which limits your capacity to study an animal,\u201d says Rachel.<\/p>\n GOING HIGH-TECH<\/p>\n Newer biologgers, including Rachel\u2019s, are highly customisable and can carry an array of sensors. They might include sensors for speed, rotation, light or temperature \u2013 some even have cameras.\u00a0<\/p>\n When used together, these sensors allow scientists to reconstruct an animal\u2019s movement in three dimensions by capturing data on orientation, speed and rhythm of each fin stroke.<\/p>\n \u201cThey basically can fully recreate the entire three dimensional picture of the animal in space and time,\u201d says Rachel. These insights are critical in a rapidly changing ocean. Environmental shifts such as rising temperatures or declining food sources can alter how animals behave and how much energy they need to survive. Understanding these limits may help predict how species will respond to future change.<\/p>\n While Rachel\u2019s work focuses on just one species, it reflects a broader transformation in marine science.<\/p>\n UNLOCKING SECRETS<\/p>\n Ben says the information gathered by marine biologgers not only reveals animal behaviours but can help scientists better understand the ocean itself.<\/p>\n \u201cAnimals are actually allowing us to better understand the oceans by kind of acting as these, like, evolutionary informed oceanographers,\u201d says Ben.<\/p>\n By carrying temperature and other environmental sensors, tagged animals can collect valuable data from regions that are otherwise difficult to study.<\/p>\n OVERCOMING CHALLENGES<\/p>\n Despite these advances, challenges remain.<\/p>\n Attaching tags to wild animals requires careful handling to minimise stress and avoid disrupting natural behaviour.\u00a0<\/p>\n Devices can fail or detach early, and high-resolution sensors generate vast datasets that can take months to process. There\u2019s also the high cost for each sensor and the risk of losing it.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s always an importance between ensuring animal welfare through as little human interactions as possible, while still attempting to collect data,\u201d says Rachel.<\/p>\n Even so, the potential of these technologies continues to grow.\u00a0<\/p>\n Emerging developments, including AI-enabled tags that can process data in real time, promise to extend tracking over longer periods and greater distances.<\/p>\n For now, every beat of the manta ray\u2019s fins will become a new row of data, giving researchers the keys to understanding their secrets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a large female manta ray glides through pristine tropical waters, Rachel Newsome swims down and carefully and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":620580,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64,63,137],"class_list":{"0":"post-620579","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-1-1024x576.png\")
\nCaption: A manta ray swimming with one of Rachel\u2019s biologger devices attached to its dorsal fin.
Credit: Supplied by Rachel Newsome<\/p>\n
This means marine megafauna can be studied in unprecedented detail.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776743715_790_image-2.png\")
\nCaption: A biologger tracked a whale shark off the coast of Ningaloo Reef, with red showing its daytime movement and blue showing movement at night.\u00a0
Credit: Supplied by Ben D\u2019Antonio<\/p>\n