Young mantas hug the coast — and now scientists have the first full map of where they grow up

Off Central America, young giant manta rays spend their early years in shallow coastal refuges — places with food, hiding spots and reef 'cleaning stations' where smaller fish pick them clean. In the first tracking study of its kind in the region, researchers followed 59 rays with underwater sound tags, 12 with satellite tags and photo records from 2018 to 2025, logging more than 12,000 detections. Youngsters about 3 metres (about 10 feet) across or smaller stayed close to shore, while grown-ups roamed far along the edge of the continental shelf, across national borders — one ray, nicknamed Mickey Mouse for the pattern on its belly, returned to the same coastal hub after three years away and stayed 38 days. The team now proposes 'conservation swimways' linking the coastal nurseries to the open-ocean routes adults use, so protection can finally follow the animals.

SDG 14 · Life below water