Rays dance in a circle

Scientists have obtained rare footage of manta rays, or sea devils the drone off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Despite the large size of these creatures (3.6 meters in diameter), their unique social behavior still remained a mystery.

"When we began to use the technology of unmanned aerial vehicles, we noticed that, in the absence of boats manta rays behave much more natural," says Andrea Marshall, Director of marine megafauna and Explorer National Geographic for more than 15 years studying the behavior of manta rays.

As Marshall explains, this circular motion is a social way of eating. Ramps follow each other with its mouth open and the one who floats ahead of you, takes away most of the plankton. As you move they switch places, so everyone can attend the leader's position.

"They seem to be closely related to each other. When manta rays spend time together, they are incredibly social," — said the scientist, adding that these animals not only eat together, but also play.

Interestingly, members of such groups are not necessarily relatives. As shown by analysis of their DNA, they can be just friends who grew up together.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»