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Credit: Jeffry Madrigal.<\/p>\nCredit: Jeffry Madrigal.<\/p>\n
Baby manta rays escape predators by avoiding them until they grow large enough for a face-off, a new study has found. Tracking data shows that young giant manta rays in Central America strictly stick to comparatively safe coastal areas for the first few years of their life. When they\u2019re large enough that natural enemies are a lesser concern, they leave these sanctuaries and embark on journeys spanning hundreds of kilometers. This shift in space use allows mantas to grow in safety before facing another type of danger in the open oceans: industrial fisheries and vessel strikes in unprotected waters. The authors say underwater corridors are needed to protect adult mantas on their treks. <\/p>\n
Giant manta rays can grow up to nine meters long with a disc size of seven meters across and weigh up to 2,000kg. This size leaves them with very few natural enemies once they reach adulthood at around eight to ten years old. But giant manta ray babies, called pups, cannot rely on their size to protect them from predators that live in the open ocean, including several species of shark and orcas. Instead, the first study to focus on giant manta ray movement in Central America has shown that pups stay in safe coastal areas where food is available until they\u2019ve grown large enough to face the dangers of the high seas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe show that manta rays\u2019 lifestyle isn\u2019t a one-size-fits-all behavior. Giant manta rays in Central America undergo a dramatic shift in space use as they mature,\u201d said lead author of the Frontiers in Fish Science study, Jeffry Madrigal-Mes\u00e9n, a researcher and project leader of Mantas Costa Rica. \u201cJuveniles remained strictly within shallow nearshore waters that serve as coastal refuges, but most of the tracked adults executed long-distance transboundary migrations along the continental shelf break into Central America.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coast to sea<\/p>\n
The team used a variety of methods for tracking and identifying mantas at five locations between 2018 and 2025. Acoustic telemetry, which uses underwater sound pulses, let them monitor fine-scale movement of 59 individuals across coastal aggregation spots like cleaning stations. Satellite telemetry, where transmitters track movement and behavior from a distance, was used to track large-scale movements of 12 individuals. Photo ID was used to identify individual manta rays.<\/p>\n
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Immature manta ray equipped with satellite tag. Credit: Jeffry Madrigal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we hadn\u2019t used all three technologies together, we simply wouldn\u2019t have been able to piece this puzzle together,\u201d explained Madrigal-Mes\u00e9n. \u201cCombining these tools turned fragmented data into a unified, undeniable story.\u201d<\/p>\n
The combined dataset of more than 12,000 detections showed that young mantas \u2013 those with disc widths of around three meters or less \u2013 stick to shallow coastal refuges. These coastal waters provide pups with a safe place that doesn\u2019t overlap with predators\u2019 hunting grounds. There they can also find plenty of food and hiding spots, and rely on essential services provided by reefs, such as cleaning.<\/p>\n
\u201cMature adults can rely on their massive body size and their ability to dive deep to evade threats. But juveniles don’t have that luxury,\u201d said Madrigal-Mes\u00e9n. \u201cWhat is truly amazing is seeing how strictly young manta rays stick to coastal waters as long-term refuges. We see the same individuals more often than once a year. In fact, just recently, they were sighted again at the exact same tagging location,\u201d continued Madrigal-Mes\u00e9n. \u201cIt is always a joy to see them again \u2013 they have truly become a part of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Puntitos, one of the immature mantas followed in the study. Credit: Jeffry Madrigal.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Jeffry_Madrigal_10.jpg\")
Credit: Jeffry Madrigal.<\/p>\n