This upcoming Saturday, September 17th, is one of the best days of the year..... World Manta Day!!!! 💙 (and no I’m not biased 🫣) The majority of my travels and experiences over the last 5 years are largely from chasing these animals around the world. & what a privilege it has been getting to know different populations and the two identified species of these amazing animals. Fun fact: While it was previously believed that this was a monotypic genus, genetic analysis revealed that there are actually at least two species of manta. Being among the largest animals in the world, this 2009 publication (Marshall, et al.) definitely shook up the game. At first it’s tricky to tell the difference between them, but you’ll quickly realize how contrasting they are in terms of appearance & behavior. While my current study species is the reef manta ray.... I must say, the giants have a strong hold of my heart (but don’t tell the reefies 🤫) and I CANNOT wait to be reunited with them next year during our first @marexpeditions Manta Ray Citizen Science trip in my favorite place on Earth 🦋 In honor of World Manta Day, I’ll be in Kona this weekend celebrating our flappy friends with some fellow manta loving fReAk$. The Kona community is putting together a Manta Festival which will consist of a full day of informative talks, activities, and crafts for adults & kids. Message me for details if you’re around & would like to join the nerd party, I’d love to see some of you there! #coreyraephotography . . . . #worldmantaday #divingpassport #oceanswildest #wildlife #underwater #discoverocean #uwphotographer #padi #paditv #paditravel #divetopia #aquaticadigital #underwaterphotography #uwphotosociety #sea #theocean #uwphotobaja #bajacaliforniasur #mexico #mantaray #travelmexico #giantmantaray #scubadiving #scubadiver #scubadiverlife #marexpeditions #socorro #sonyalphafemale #citizenscience