New Zealand's manta and devil ray hotspots have been revealed, with 490 sightings of manta and devil rays across the North Island.
Manta Watch New Zealand (MWNZ) are hoping to uncover the mystery of mantas to understand whether these mantas are seasonal visitors or a distinct population.
Hot spots found by MWNZ include off the coast of Northland, Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula. Meanwhile a lone manta has been spotted near the Kāpiti Coast.
Options for their behaviour include cruising, feeding, cleaning and courtship.
The watch is part of research into Aotearoa's oceanic manta rays to help conservation management.
Manta rays are known as the gentle giants of the sea. Manta and their close relative devil rays are essentially flat sharks whose side fins have evolved into wings used to glide through oceans.
So far only oceanic manta rays and spine tail devil rays have been confirmed in New Zealand
According to the Department of Conservation, giant manta rays are endangered and little is known about their population size.
But a University of Auckland scientist Edy Setyawan said there is suspicion that New Zealand may host a nursery for globally endangered giant manta rays.
"We've seen pregnant females in New Zealand waters," Setyawan said. "Moreover, we've seen courtship behaviour and fresh mating scars on some females in the Hauraki Gulf, and given the 12 to 13 month gestation period it seems likely that if they're regularly in New Zealand waters in summer time they will give birth here."
After eight years of study, the study led by Setyawan confirmed the existence of a globally rare manta-ray nursery in the Raja Ampat islands in Indonesia.
The study found the nursery, which is within a marine protected area, provided the rays with foraging ground and "cleaning stations" where smaller fish feed on parasites on the rays.
Part of the puzzle as scientists learn more about manta rays is locating their nurseries and Kiwis can help out by reporting manta sightings to Manta Watch NZ.
Locating hot spots allow the team to focus surveying effort on the area to help the team learn about the location and the manta rays found there.
After a sighting is submitted to MWNZ, they will provide feedback about the individual manta encountered and if the data submitted is new to the database you will be given the opportunity to name it yourself.
Ocean loving friends can also adopt a manta ray with the all the proceeds going into research projects.
