Conservation Photography

First study of world’s largest marine stingray reveals long-distance migration

Scientists use images and videos submitted by tourists to track rare species in Africa

Smalleye stingrays are the largest marine stingrays on record, reaching disc widths of up to 222 cm, and yet almost nothing is known about them. Scientists from the Marine Megafauna Foundation have for the first time used photo IDs to study this elusive animal in southern Mozambique, one of the only locations where it is regularly seen in the wild. Their findings were published in the journal PeerJ.

Scuba diver with smalleye stingray (c) Andrea Marshall, Marine Megafauna Foundation

“We reported the first sightings of smalleye stingray in 2004 and have since been racing against the clock to learn more about their ecology before it is too late”, said Dr Andrea Marshall, co-founder and principal scientist of the Marine Megafauna Foundation. 31 percent of the world’s sharks and rays are threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ‒ due to lack of scientific effort and information, it has not been possible to evaluable the conservation status of smalleye stingrays to date. “This species of ray is likely in trouble too but we can’t protect what we don’t know much about. Our study is an important first step in understanding more about the animal’s ecology and behaviour“, she added.

Fishermen with smalleye stingray (c) Andrea Marshall, Marine Megafauna Foundation

“These mysterious giants are thought to be patchily distributed across the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, but southern Mozambique is probably the best location to encounter them on inshore reefs”, Marshall added.

The marine biologists tested whether photographs of the stingrays’ (Megatrygon microps) white dorsal spots could be used to distinguish and track individuals over long periods.

“Through local dive centers, we called on tourists to help us collect images of this solitary stingray. Fortunately for us, southern Mozambique and its rich marine life attract many passionate scuba divers, most of which own GoPros or other lightweight cameras and will happily make their images and footage available for research”, said Atlantine Boggio-Pasqua who volunteered with the Tofo-based foundation.

Divers with smalleye stingray (c) Andrea Marshall, Marine Megafauna Foundation

She added: “Their contributions proved immensely valuable, we managed to gather more than 140 photographs suitable for comparison and identification, with some images dating as far back as 2003.”

The team was able to visually identify 70 different individuals, including 15 that had been seen on several occasions in the area. The dorsal spot patterns looked unchanged over the years indicating they may be permanent markings like in manta rays.

Boggio-Pasqua said: “Smalleye stingrays may look intimidating at first glance with their large, razor-sharp tail spines, but they’re actually really charismatic and easy to approach. We hope to receive many photo and video contributions from citizen scientists in future. They could tell us more about the species’ habitat preference as well as feeding and cleaning behavior.”

The encountered stingrays were often spotted at cleaning stations where reef bannerfish and other small fish appeared to be removing parasites from the rays’ skin.

Diver and smalleye stingray (c) Andrea Marshall, Marine Megafauna Foundation

The photographic study also provided a glimpse into the migratory behaviour of Megatrygon microps. Some individuals traveled hundreds of kilometers along the coastline, including a near-term pregnant female which traveled from Tofo to the Bazaruto Archipelago and back (200km in a minimum of 102 days and a total 400km return trip). She returned to Tofo, no longer visibly pregnant, suggesting this individual had pupped during her journey.

This proved to be the longest straight-line distance ever recorded for any species of whiptail stingrays (Dasyatidae family). Unlike other stingrays, smalleye stingrays are rarely seen resting on the seabed and are thought to be semi-pelagic.

Fishermen with smalleye stingray (c) Andrea Marshall, Marine Megafauna Foundation-2

Smalleye stingrays are likely under threat from increasing fishing pressures. Targeted and incidental catch in coastal gillnets and industrial purse seiners operating offshore are an ongoing issue in Mozambique.

“There are so many questions that remain unanswered about this rare species. Where do they live, how fast do they mature and how do they reproduce? Filling these knowledge gaps is crucial to figuring out how to protect them properly in Mozambique and other parts of the Indian Ocean”, concluded Dr Marshall.

Addressing the lack of available data will eventually allow scientists to formally assess the species’ conservation status in the IUCN Red List and inform management practices.

The study by Atlantine Boggio-Pasqua, Anna Flam and Andrea Marshall, titled ‘Spotting the “small eyes”: using photo-ID methodology to study a wild population of smalleye stingrays (Megatrygon microps) in southern Mozambique’ is published in the journal PeerJ on 11 June 2019 and is freely available here: https://peerj.com/articles/7110/

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Conservation Photography

National Geographic Explorer Thomas Peschak to Receive 2025 Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling

This year’s award recognizes Peschak’s legacy of visually illuminating ecosystems, including the people advocating for them, while connecting audiences to the importance of conservation

Cover of the Amazon Special Single-Topic October 2024 Issue of National Geographic Magazine. Photo by Thomas P . Peschak/National Geographic.

Award-winning photographer and National Geographic Explorer T homas P. Peschak will receive the National Geographic Society’s 2025 Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling for his long legacy of conservation storytelling at National Geographic and beyond.

The award — named for the writer and photographer Eliza Scidmore, the first woman elected to the Society’s Board of Trustees in 1892 — recognizes individuals whose work focuses on immersive storytelling to advance our understanding of the environmental and conservation issues we face, with the ultimate goal of supporting societies in making the best decisions for a healthier planet.

While Peschak began his career training as a marine biologist specializing in human-wildlife interactions, he eventually moved to photojournalism after realizing his impact on conservation could be greater through storytelling to inspire change. Now, Peschak’s accomplishments are world-renowned, with 18 Wildlife Photographer of the Year wins, seven World Press Photo Awards, and most recently, the 2024 Wildlife Photojournalist Story Award — all for his significant work documenting some of the most crucial conservation stories of our time.

Ariaú River, Brazil – A pink river dolphin cruises in the shallows of a flooded forest in Brazil’s Ariaú River. Its unique anatomy allows it to swim easily through these waters. Narrow dorsal fins, long snouts and large, flexible flippers let the mammals slip in and out of submerged branches. “They basically fly between the trees,” marine biologist Fernando Trujillo says, “following the fish.” Featured in the Special Single-Topic October 2024 Amazon Issue of National Geographic Magazine. © THOMAS P. PESCHAK/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

“Tom’s work is rooted in a commitment to drive meaningful impact. Whether documenting vital ecosystems, the plight of at-risk species or the stories of communities, his images open our eyes to the world, make it clear what’s at stake and inspire us to act,” said Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO of the National Geographic Society. “Tom’s dedication to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world defines his work, and it’s why we are deeply honored to present him with the 2025 Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling.”

Most recently, he was the lead storyteller on the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Amazon Expedition, a multiyear series of solutions-centered science expeditions spanning the entire Amazon River Basin. Working with fellow Explorers and local communities, Peschak immersed himself in the basin for 396 days to reveal its aquatic and wetland habitats. The single-topic October issue of the National Geographic magazine was devoted entirely to Peschak’s stunning images of the Amazon Expedition. Starting with ice axes and crampons in the icy high Andes and finishing with scuba gear in the Atlantic Ocean, he created the first-of-its-kind comprehensive photographic archive of our planet’s most iconic and biodiverse river system.

Wolf Island, Galapagos Islands – A ground finch pecks at the base of a Nazca booby’s flight feathers and drinks the blood. © THOMAS P. PESCHAK/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

To date, Peschak has photographed 20 National Geographic magazine features on various subjects, including manta rays, sea turtles, climate change in Antarctica and the global seabird crisis, the latter of which resulted from a Society grant in 2017. Seeking to address the loss of 230 million seabirds over 60 years, Peschak mined archives for images of seabird colonies in Peru taken 100 years ago and re-photographed those same locations, presenting these images side by side in an innovative multimedia display to visualize this staggering absence in the hopes of protecting this ecologically critical and unique species.

Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles Islands – Blacktip reef sharks wait for the tide to refill the lagoon at remote Aldabra Atoll. © THOMAS P. PESCHAK/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

In addition to his extraordinary photojournalistic work, Peschak has written and photographed eight books, including “Sharks and People,” which chronicles the relationship between people and sharks around the world, and “Wild Seas,” a collection of photos taken by Peschak documenting the beauty and fragility of underwater life and wild coastlines from around the world. He has also appeared as a speaker for the National Geographic Live! series, having presented over 20 shows in 15 cities on three continents.

Mexico – A manta ray being cleaned by Clarion angelfish. Today these animals play an important role in tourism in places like Mexico’s Archipiélago de Revillagigedo Biosphere Reserve, in the Pacific Ocean about 240 miles southwest of Baja’s southern tip. © THOMAS P. PESCHAK/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

“Photography and storytelling aren’t just about highlighting places with unique biodiversity, especially when areas like the Amazon basin are under siege every day from issues like overfishing, pollution and climate change,” said Peschak. “To capture the full scale, it’s imperative to highlight these challenges as well as the people who are facing them head-on: local communities, Indigenous peoples, researchers and other Explorers. The goal and hope with my work has always been to photograph places I love in order to help save them, so it is a true honor to receive this award and get to continue to work on important stories of conservation.”

Bahama Islands – Green sea turtles congregate near a dock in the Bahamas. © THOMAS P. PESCHAK/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

While remaining a cornerstone of storytelling work at the Society, Peschak continues to focus on marine conservation storytelling more broadly, serving as the director of storytelling for the Save our Seas Foundation — an organization he has been an integral part of for almost two decades. He is also a founding director of the Manta Trust and a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Peschak will be honoured as the 2025 Eliza Scidmore Award recipient during the annual National Geographic Society Storytellers Summit in February 2025. To learn more about Peschak and other Explorers’ work, visit our website here.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content.

Conservation Photography

Manta Ray Magic: Witnessing a Feeding Frenzy in the Great Barrier Reef – Photography by Aliya Siddiqi

While working at an island that’s known as “the home of the manta ray,” it’s easy for most of us staff to get jaded at seeing one or two manta rays…per day. Maybe they do a quick cruise past, or maybe a stop at the cleaning station. But when these mantas do aggregate around this small island on the Great Barrier Reef, those are the days that turn into pure magic. And it reminds us all as to why these animals are so spectacular to interact with.

Manta rays, more specifically Manta alfredi, are unique in the contrast between their large size and inquisitive behavior around humans. Despite reaching average lengths of three to five meters wingtip to wingtip, they are filter feeders and seek out the smallest creatures in the ocean to feed on. The diets of manta rays are found to consist mostly of different types of zooplankton, small creatures that range from microscopic single-celled organisms to the larvae of larger animals like crabs, octopuses, and fish. Zooplankton are heterotrophic, meaning that they obtain their energy from feeding on other organisms including phytoplankton and other zooplankton. In this photo series, all of those small dots sparkling in the photos indicate a high number of plankton.

According to scientists studying the island aggregation site, the higher biomass of zooplankton seems to be a result of “local concentration and retention processes around the island”. Though still unknown why these zooplankton blooms around the island happen, when it does become what we call “manta soup,” the foraging behaviour of the manta rays gives guests and staff some unforgettable experiences. The elasmobranchs ensure filter-feeding efficiency by looping around consistently in nutrient-dense areas. All one must do is stay in that same spot and wait for the mantas to swoop in and detour around you – though with strong currents, this is often more easily said than done. However, some days you get lucky when the weather window blesses you with no wind, high zooplankton biomass, and an influx of manta rays.

These photos come from a day like that, making it almost too easy for an amateur photographer like me to capture these charismatic animals. The mantas were swooping in and out, with some of the females displaying quite pregnant bellies. Like any aggregation site, tourism operators greatly benefit from the frequency at which these animals appear. Their docile and curious nature also makes them excellent flagship species for marine conservationists. Listed as Vulnerable to Extinction by the IUCN, these experiences with the public allow for an opportunity to discuss the challenges our oceans are facing, and why protection is of the utmost importance.

Conservation Photography

Cleaning Stations & Coastal Cruising – Under the Waves with Karim Iliya, October 2024

This is a turtle cleaning station. You can see the turtle in the back getting cleaned by a fish which eats parasites and algae off the turtle’s skin, shell, and scales. The turtle in the front is waiting its turn. This is a symbiotic relationship in which the turtles get cleaned, and the fish get a meal.

A Hawaiian green sea turtle cruises beneath the waves off the coast of Hawaii. This turtle was eating algae off the rocks, seemingly unaffected by the powerful turbulent water all around. When not eating algae, these turtles spend much of their time laying on the nearby beach .

Karim was published in National Geographic magazine for his humpback whale photography. He now leads his own trips so that others can swim with whales.

If you are interested in swimming with or photographing humpback whales, Karim guides people on small trips between August and October every year in Tonga. Visit www.dancewithwhales.com to find out more

To see more of Karim’s work, visit his website at www.karimphotography.com