A wildlife photographer in the southern Great Barrier Reef was delighted when a manta ray courtship ritual unfolded right before his eyes.<\/p>\n
Keelan Priscott<\/a>\u00a0visited\u00a0Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort<\/a>\u00a0in the middle of manta ray season, saying \u201cthere are mating chains everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n In one video shared on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, Priscott filmed four\u00a0manta rays<\/a>\u00a0twirling around each other in an elegant dance. \u201cI was lucky to witness the chain end of one where they formed this manta ball,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n But he noticed something unusual about this bundle of rays: it looked like there were two males and two females in the group.\u00a0<\/p>\n Footage shows a manta mating chain made up of two males and two females \u2013 usually these chains are led by one female with several males. Credit: Keelan Priscott<\/p>\n Usually, courtship trains like this one are led by one female with several males in hot pursuit. \u201cAs many as thirty males line up head-to-tail behind the female as she swims at great speeds, twisting and turning around the reef, even leaping from the water,\u201d writes\u00a0Manta Trust<\/a>\u00a0on its website. <\/p>\n \u201cThese courtship trains are amazing to watch as the procession of rays snake through the water, often rushing past like a freight train within inches of divers\u2019 heads as the female tries to shake loose the less persistent of her pursuers.\u201d<\/p>\n Having two females in the group is rather odd. Priscott wasn\u2019t sure why this might have happened. \u201cAll I can say is it\u2019s super cool!\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n