World’s largest stingray tagged for the first time in Mozambique Posted by David Henning on 25 January 2023 Researchers have tagged the smalleye stingray, the largest and rarest marine stingray, in what is a scientific first off the coast of Mozambique. A smalleye stingray. Picture: Wikimedia Commons/ Jay.corriveau The small-eye sting ray is thought to be a critically endangered species, which will allow scientists to track their long-distance travel and fine-scale movements. After surveying the coast of the Bazaruto Archipelago, National Geographic explorer and ray expert Andrea Marshall dove in with a 2 m long pole after spotting a ray in shallow water. She lightly touched the animal to take a small skin sample from its underside, with the ray remaining calm. Smalleyes have a stinging spine the length of a human forearm, with Marshall telling National Geographic that the wrong move ‘would put us in mortal danger’. An aerial image of a dhow ( sailing across the low tide shallows and seagrass meadows of the Bazaruto Marine Reserve. Mozambique. Picture: Getty Images /Jay Roode The team managed to tag 11 smalleye rays off the coast of Mozambique, with the goal of gathering enough information so that the IUCN can proper;y assess the species which could lead to better protection practices. So far, the tags have revealed that these rays roam the reefs at night, indicating that they likely feed at dawn and dusk and sleep close to the reef at night. ‘We’re racing against the clock,’ Marshall concluded, ‘to learn more and get more attention for this incredible species that most people aren’t even aware of’. Follow us on social media for more travel news, inspiration, and guides. You can also tag us to be featured. TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter ALSO READ: First population of all-orphaned rhinos arrive at Babanango Game Reserve Related Posts Rewilding Mozambique: Sábiè Game Park 25 May 2023 We went on a recce to Sábiè Game Park, which is setting the pace for... read more Rewilding Mozambique: Zinave National Park 25 May 2023 We went on a recce to Zinave National Park, Inhambane Province, which is setting the... read more Just Keep Walking along the coastline of Mozambique 21 April 2023 Just Keep Walking Tours, two slackpacking trails along the coastline of Mozambique, are set to... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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