Episode Details

Young manta rays off the coast of Florida have something in common with pop stars and athletes: They have groupies. A recent study found that several species of fish like to hang out with the rays. That can provide advantages for the groupies.

Scientists have been watching a manta-ray nursery in South Florida for a decade. Most of the rays inhabit shallow waters less than a mile from shore. And most of them are juveniles.

The study looked at 465 videos of the rays. Researchers identified 59 individual rays in the images, some of which were present for several years.

 In the videos, the manta rays had an average of a half-dozen groupies. Every ray had at least one, and one especially popular manta ray had more than 200. Most of the followers were cobia, remora, or jack-fish. Some of the remoras were attached to the rays. Most of the other fish congregated on the ray’s right side, below or behind one of its wide “wings.”

The groupies might receive several benefits from the relationship. They might be able to grab food scraps, or save energy by swimming in the ray’s wake. They might also use the rays as shelter.

Groupies like those found around manta rays also are common around other giant fish, such as the whale shark—the largest of all living species of fish. These followers also may be able to feast on the big guy’s table scraps, or to coast along in its wake—better perks than T-shirts for marine groupies.

The post Manta-Ray Groupies appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin..