Marine Megafauna Foundation

Marine Megafauna Foundation Saving Ocean Giants from Extinction Saving ocean giants from extinction.
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MMF conducts pioneering research on endangered marine wildlife, particularly sharks and rays, to develop and implement effective conservation programs.

🧬 BUILDING REGIONAL CAPACITY IN eDNA FOR MARINE BIODIVERSITY MONITORING 🌊Earlier this month, MMF's research fellow Emmyl...
08/12/2026

🧬 BUILDING REGIONAL CAPACITY IN eDNA FOR MARINE BIODIVERSITY MONITORING 🌊

Earlier this month, MMF's research fellow Emmyllen Burine had the opportunity to travel to Kenya to attend the 2026 Environmental DNA (eDNA) Training for Africa and the Adjacent Island States, held at Pwani University from 27 July to 2 August.

The training brought together 30 ocean experts from 14 countries across Eastern and Southern Africa, including Early Ocean Career Professionals ( ), for an intensive hands-on experience in eDNA and its applications in marine biodiversity monitoring.

🧬 Emmyllen's new skills span the key stages of the eDNA workflow:
🪸 Understanding eDNA technology and its applications in marine biodiversity monitoring
💧 eDNA sample collection, filtration, and preservation
🧪 eDNA extraction and laboratory workflows
💻 eDNA data analysis and bioinformatics tools
🌊 Applying eDNA to assess marine biodiversity and monitor marine ecosystems

This training elevates Emmyllen's research fellowship experience and opens the door to a whole new, invisible yet vital area of ocean science. We're certain she'll continue building on this training as she progresses in her career! 🙌

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🐟 THE MOLA TALK IS BACK! 🎉You can feel it in the water, literally! The temperature is dropping, Mola season is here in N...
08/08/2026

🐟 THE MOLA TALK IS BACK! 🎉

You can feel it in the water, literally! The temperature is dropping, Mola season is here in Nusa Penida, and everyone's Instagram is already full of sunfish encounters. This year, we're adding something new to the excitement — after years away, our team brought back the Mola Talk, and we're thrilled to have finally debuted it this month!

🦈 What we've been up to:
🌊 Hosted the talk twice! First with Scuba Center Asia in Nusa Lembongan, then with Bali Aqua in Nusa Penida
🌊 Took audiences through ocean sunfish species, biology, behaviour, threats, and the research helping us understand them better
🌊 Rolled out a dedicated Mola briefing for pre-dive sessions at Mola-potential sites like Crystal Bay, so divers know what to look for and how to behave around these gentle giants
🌊 Encouraged everyone to contribute to research by submitting Mola photos (with date, time, and dive site) to the OceanSunfishResearch citizen science platform

🤯 A fact that always surprises people: the sunfish we encounter here in Nusa Penida isn't actually Mola mola as many assume — it's a different species altogether, Mola alexandrini!

The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive, and we can't wait for the next one! 🙏

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🛰️ TWO NEW SATELLITE TAGS DEPLOYED ON FLORIDA MANTAS! 🛰️This month, the Florida Manta Project team successfully deployed...
08/06/2026

🛰️ TWO NEW SATELLITE TAGS DEPLOYED ON FLORIDA MANTAS! 🛰️

This month, the Florida Manta Project team successfully deployed two new satellite tags on manta rays, made possible through our partnership with NOAA! These tags will share location data over the coming months, helping us understand long-term manta movement patterns.

🦈 Meet our newly tagged mantas:
🌊 Manta 207, A.K.A. "London" — sighted 7 times between 2024-2025
🌊 Manta 165, A.K.A. "Orchid" — not seen since 2023, until this month!

📍 Both mantas were tagged north of our usual survey area, which may reveal behaviour patterns we haven't documented before. We're excited to see what secrets London and Orchid might be holding!

Long-term satellite tracking like this is key to understanding where manta rays go, how they use their habitat, and what protections they might need along the way. 💙

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08/04/2026

🌊 MPA DAY 2026: PROTECTING OUR OCEANS 🌊

August 1st marked Marine Protected Areas Day, and across all three of our program sites, Marine Protected Areas are helping safeguard the extraordinary marine megafauna we work to protect every day.

📍 In Mozambique, our team celebrated the beauty and biodiversity of Inhambane's coast — home to some of the region's most important shark and ray populations. Watch the video here to see our Mozambique team's tribute to this incredible coastline! 🎥

🦈 Highlights from our Mozambique team:
🌊 Celebrating the Santuário Bravio de Vilanculos and the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park
🌊 Recognising the many other stretches of coastline that harbour immense marine megafauna diversity, including vital Shark and Ray Areas that fall beyond existing MPA boundaries
🌊 Advocating for stronger marine protection rooted in both science and local wisdom

Marine Protected Areas are more than lines on a map. They safeguard critical habitats, sustain marine life, and protect the ocean that coastal communities depend on — helping bend the curve of marine biodiversity loss and giving our oceans a chance to recover.

At MMF, we work for the ocean, for its people, and for a future where marine life and coastal communities can flourish together. 💙

For inquiries, contact us at
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🌊 NUS STUDENTS DIVE INTO MANTA & TURTLE CONSERVATION IN LEMBONGAN! 🐢As part of their Global Experience (GEx) course, stu...
07/20/2026

🌊 NUS STUDENTS DIVE INTO MANTA & TURTLE CONSERVATION IN LEMBONGAN! 🐢

As part of their Global Experience (GEx) course, students from the National University of Singapore joined us in Lembongan for two unforgettable days getting up close with our megafauna!

🐢 Early morning snorkel sessions gave students the chance to encounter mantas and turtles in the wild, while practicing their identifying skills!

📸 Afternoons were spent diving into presentations on manta and turtle biology, the threats they face, and the research driving our conservation work

🔍 The highlight? Our Photo ID workshop, where students matched their own field photos to our database, identifying individual mantas they'd encountered that same morning

💬 What stood out most was the curiosity and engagement, sharp questions and genuine discussion throughout

Thank you so much for visiting! We hope it was a memorable, eye-opening experience, and we can't wait to welcome you back next year 🙏✨

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🌊 SUMMER FIELDWORK IS BACK IN SOUTH FLORIDA! 📣As the mantas return to our South Florida nursery, so does our summer fiel...
07/03/2026

🌊 SUMMER FIELDWORK IS BACK IN SOUTH FLORIDA! 📣

As the mantas return to our South Florida nursery, so does our summer fieldwork season! ☀️ It's been a busy month on (and above) the water for the Florida Manta Project.

Here's what we packed in:
🚤 13 days of boat-based surveys
✈️ 2 aerial surveys
🚁 Multiple drone-based surveys from the beach

From the air, we spotted an incredible cast of marine life:
🦈 Mantas, hammerhead sharks, nurse sharks & blacktip sharks
🐢 Sea turtles
🐟 Sailfish

And in the water, we ID'd 5 manta rays! 🎉

Two are brand-new individuals joining our catalogue, and three are familiar faces re-sighted from previous years — a great reminder of how mantas keep coming back to these waters.

It feels amazing to be back in the water most days again. Here's to a summer of discovery! 💙

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🌊 TWO NEW FACES JOIN THE FLORIDA NURSERY! 📣This month, the Florida Manta Project teamed up with the International SeaKee...
06/27/2026

🌊 TWO NEW FACES JOIN THE FLORIDA NURSERY! 📣

This month, the Florida Manta Project teamed up with the International SeaKeepers Society to run manta surveys in Miami! 🤿 This collaboration let us extend our usual survey range and dig deeper into how mantas are using urban nursery areas.

And the extra effort paid off! We ID'd TWO new mantas in Miami Beach in a single survey! 🎉
🦈 Manta 253 (aka "Sprinkle") — a very young juvenile female
🦈 Manta 254 — also a very young juvenile female, judging by her size

Spotting two tiny juveniles in one outing is exactly what we love to see: it tells us Miami Beach waters are doing what a nursery should, giving the next generation of reef manta rays (Mobula yarae) a safe place to grow. Welcome to the Florida nursery! 💙

Huge thanks to our collaborators at the International SeaKeepers Society () for helping make these surveys possible! 🙌

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💚 BACK IN THE DERAWAN ISLANDS 💚Research Assistant Barra returned to the Derawan Islands in early May for a packed two-we...
06/20/2026

💚 BACK IN THE DERAWAN ISLANDS 💚

Research Assistant Barra returned to the Derawan Islands in early May for a packed two-week visit, balancing data collection, community engagement, and partnership building across this special corner of the Coral Triangle. 🐢🌊

Here's what the two weeks delivered:
🐢 ID-shot photography of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Derawan, updating MMF's long-term photo-ID database
🤝 A meeting with the Derawan village head to discuss MMF's plans going forward
📸 A Turtle ID training session for new Scuba Ju**ie SEAS staff in Derawan
🦈 A Manta Talk delivered at Scuba Ju**ie Sangalaki

From updating our identification records to training the next wave of local citizen scientists, it was a full and rewarding return to one of Indonesia's most special marine landscapes. 💙

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💙 PREGNANT GIANT MANTA RAYS 💙Earlier this year, Florida Manta Project founder Jessica Pate joined Dr Madalena Cabral on ...
06/19/2026

💙 PREGNANT GIANT MANTA RAYS 💙

Earlier this year, Florida Manta Project founder Jessica Pate joined Dr Madalena Cabral on an expedition to Revillagigedo in search of one of the ocean's great mysteries — pregnant giant manta rays. Unlike reef mantas (Mobula alfredi), giant mantas (Mobula birostris) show no obvious pregnant bulge, so where these expectant females spend their time has remained unknown. 🌊

The team was lucky to encounter one female on three dive days. Officially named Timshel after the boat, Jessica called her Abuelita, Spanish for "grandmother", for the scratches and scars that hinted at a long life. Using underwater, contactless ultrasound, Lena confirmed she was pregnant and in mid-stage gestation. On a follow-up trip, two more females were confirmed pregnant. 🤰🦈

Now satellite telemetry will reveal where these mothers-to-be go — staying safe inside the marine park, or venturing into waters where fisheries pose a threat?

📰 Read all about it in National Geographic, with words from Bethany Augliere 🔗 https://bit.ly/manta-ultrasound

👩🏻‍🔬 A pre-print of the article is also out now 🔗 https://bit.ly/preprint-manta-ultrasound

📱 Follow for more 💙

📸 Bryant Turffs

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