Revealing the Secret Lives of Devil Rays

Scientists know that megafauna like Chilean devil rays play key roles in oceanic ecosystems, and yet, much about them is still a mystery. In the Azores, where the rays form iconic aggregations every summer ( • Why do so many devil r... ), Pedro Afonso, Jorge Fontes, and their students are hatching a plan to gain a whole new perspective on their habitat use. Equipped with non-invasive camera tags and all the environmental sampling tools of OceanXplorer, they might be able to unlock new secrets from the lives of these graceful giants.
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#azores #devilrays #marinebiology #megafauna #oceanx

[@vladdevener5586]

Such an incredible species of a special animal .

[@ramblinrose8]

How profoundly beautiful their movements are. So delicate. They are so big that the smallest of movements translates into a big "payoff" and when they really" fly" they are so powerful it is awe inspiring. I was truly mesmerized by their delicate wing/air/water like movements...as if I was watching silk drape itself over water only in Ray form. Or watching a breeze move. I can't call these "Devils" they are too beautiful. Ray beautiful Ray.

[@thereadersvoice]

"Life in the ocean pretty much determines life on Earth." Truer words have never been spoken. 🐋🦈

[@karijordan4930]

Did anyone notice that one of the rays had a white tennis shoe like print on it's back, the gray part, as if someone was riding it like a surf board. It was strange! It was as if someone dipped their shoes in chalk and put their shoes on the ray's gray part of it's back.

[@ramblinrose8]

I was thinking when they attached the "monitor" he stepped on the ray. And it damaged the ray's skin. It was horrible. But the ray seems all right. I love and appreciate we do these studies but sometimes I feel we humans are so inhuman in the way we approach scientific study. I think the ray wasn't hurt. But still imagine someone just coming up to you, you trusting "it" and then boom you are stepped on and now there's a cord around you and you are now dragging a weight...I get it, I get it...I just wear my heart on my sleeve when it comes to animals and the world. We humans have been so abusive. Not saying this was...it's a trigger for me.

[@madelines563]

The "tennis shoe" print is probably from a remora! They hitchhike on the rays all the time (you see some in the video) and their suckers kind of look like shoe soles.

[@OceanX]

@@madelines563 Correct! Remoras will leave marks like that on the animals they hitchhike on.

[@gavinsmith28]

Thanks so much for your amazing work for our oceans

[@marcelade8a]

Amazing video! Thanks for sharing! ❤🙏🏻