
To Manta or to Eagle ray
A few days ago there was an interesting article in one of our local newspapers about a group of Manta rays hovering around in the lagoon of Trou d’eau douce.
Reading the headline , I felt very excited, wow Manta rays are very uncommon to been seen next to the Mauritian coast, this is really cool.
The only dive in Mauritius next to Flic en Flac where I actually filmed and had the opportunity to have a Manta ray literally swimming over my head was some years ago and very unexpected.
It was actually a very funny event as the group of divers I was guiding that day were inquiring on the possibility to see some Manta rays, and as I had never seen them in my many dives in Mauritius, I gave them little hope of seeing one during the dive.
And there it was after being only 5 minutes underwater, hanging around in the back ground with a group of eagle rays as a perfect wallpaper picture you would put on your computer screen.
I have been traveling to the Maldives, Fiji, Palau and the Komodo islands to see them and now according to the headlines, they made their comeback in Mauritius ..
So I was ready to grab my dive gear and camera to get some footage… Unfortunately with a closer look at the video I realised there were Eagle rays mistaken for Manta rays .
Eagle rays are much more common in the waters around Mauritius, and I have known them as friendly and curious towards us divers, strange fish that come in all shapes and colours and make this bubbly noise.
They can be found next to coral reefs and sometimes in lagoons or bays to feed or mate, that’s why they are probably seen in the lagoon of Trou d’eau Douce.
Females reproduce via internal fertilization and bear a maximum of four pups/litter after a gestation period of probably a year.
Due to the low reproductive potential, along with their natural rarity, experts considering spotted eagle rays as ‘near threatened’ with extinction.
In case they feel threatened by a shadow from above they can strike with the barbon on their tail, this can cause an unpleasant wound. Rays in general are not aggressive and only do this in self-defence.
Next time you have the opportunity of seeing an Eagle ray “flying” through the water by flapping his pectoral fins and sometimes even leaping porpoise-like into the air, remember how fortunate we are here in Mauritius.
We need to protect our sea and the inhabitants, we are only visitors in their environment. Give the chance to our children and their children, to be able to enjoy the marvelous underwater life, it’s not too late but we should start now.
Esther Rambert
