Two of the Biggest and the Best

It always amazes me how we have gotten to the point where there are so many special days. This story is two-fold. One is for Mikeydred’s unofficial April challenge. The second is to honour World Aquatic Animal Day, which is on April 3.

It's easy to forget how many aquatic animals live in our oceans, seas, lakes, and other waters. We don’t live underwater! If you haven't fished, snorkelled, or dived, you may not know what’s beneath the surface.

World Aquatic Animal Day is for people to learn about aquatic creatures. It's a time to appreciate their importance. People everywhere use this day to come together. They create laws, policies, and educational programs. This will help protect these precious animals.

As a younger adult, I always loved fishing. Once I started travelling for work and putting in long days, I just stopped. There was no compelling reason. It just stopped, and I have not picked it up again.

With diving, it was different. From the first time I went diving on a coral reef, I was hooked. From that time on, pretty much every holiday had to involve water so I could go diving. Then a whole lot changed health-wise, and I had to stop.

Tropical coral reefs cover only a small part of the seafloor, but they are vital. They offer habitat, food, and nursery grounds for about a quarter of all marine species. Covering less than 1% of the ocean, they support about 25% of all marine species. They create many niches for coastal fisheries, tourism, and shoreline protection. This benefits hundreds of millions of people.

My contribution to this is to recognise two of the largest sea creatures that I have interacted with. They are both in my top five favourite aquatic animals.

The Ballerinas of the Sea - Manta Rays:

I have so many wonderful memories of diving with these majestic creatures. Giant manta rays are the world’s largest rays with a wingspan of up to 26 feet or 8 metres. They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton. Giant manta rays are slow-growing, migratory animals with small, highly fragmented populations that are sparsely distributed worldwide.

There’s nothing more relaxing than floating beside these giants as they dance in the currents that carry their plankton diet.

Demand for the gill plates of manta and other rays has risen dramatically in Asian markets. The international gill plate market is growing. There is also a rising demand for manta ray products in traditional Chinese medicine. Many areas in the Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific have seen huge drops in manta ray numbers.

They are now recognised as a vulnerable species. Two interesting facts about manta rays:

- Manta rays have the largest brain-to-body weight ratio of any living fish.

- Their underside markings are unique to the individual, like a person’s fingerprint.

The gentle giants of the ocean – whale sharks

One of my most vivid snorkelling memories is with whale sharks in the Maldives. In the azure-blue ocean, 4 or 5 gentle giants swam in shallow water, less than 10 meters deep. They were vacuuming up red krill, feeding happily.

The largest fish in the sea, they can reach lengths of forty feet (12-15 metres). The largest ever recorded was around 20 metres, which would equate to around 20 tonnes. The skin on their backs can be 25 centimetres thick. This also helps them heal from serious wounds caused by boat propeller injuries.

Mantas don’t sexually mature until they are 30-35 years old, but can live into their hundreds. They are always moving and filter over 6,000 litres of water each hour. Their mouths can be up to four meters wide.

Although they are sharks, they are absolutely not aggressive. Combined with their slow movement (less than 5 km/hr), they make amazing swimming companions. My interaction lasted for about two hours. I did not want to get out of the water. When I did, I was picking red krill out of my hair (and all other parts) for ages. But it was totally worth it.

They are on the endangered list. Human activities have greatly affected their numbers. This includes hunting (finning), vessel strikes, bycatch, and marine pollution.

Happy celebration day to all sea creatures, especially these two! Wishing you many more joyful days ahead.

Till next time,

Calvin

Mikydred's April Unofficial Challenge: