Watch the first episode of Archeology Quest! https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-pottery Give the gift of a lifetime Nebula membership! https://go.nebula.tv/gift?ref=realscience Watch this video ad-free on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-the-insane-biology-of-the-giant-manta-ray Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/realscience Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniesammann Images Courtesy of Getty Images Thanks to our Patreon Supporters: Eric Ypsilantis Robert Thompson Keith Skipper Thanks so much to Jessica Pate from the Florida Manta Project for joining us! Check out her amazing work here: https://marinemegafauna.org/americas/florida-manta-project Credits: Narrator: Stephanie Sammann Writer: Lorraine Boissoneault Editor: Dylan Hennessy (https://www.behance.net/dylanhennessy1) Illustrator: Jacek Ambrożewski Illustrator/Animator: Kirtan Patel (https://kpatart.com/illustrations) Animator: Mike Ridolfi (https://www.moboxgraphics.com/) Sound: Graham Haerther (https://haerther.net/) Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster (https://twitter.com/forgottentowel) Producer: Brian McManus (null) REFERENCES [1] https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/182/1/50/3886052?login=false [2] https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/3/3/20 [3] https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/166/1/132/2629187 [4]http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/lh_size_benefits.htm [5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169534704003143 [6] https://academic.oup.com/evolut/article/73/3/588/6727136 [7] https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.160717#d1e1590 [8] https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2688-8319.12051 [9] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-023-04219-y [10] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-10482-8 [11] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320716301975 [12] https://www.mantatrust.org/what-are-mobulids [13] https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/113/1/180/2416039 [14] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10164-016-0462-z [15] https://benthamopen.com/contents/pdf/TOANATJ/TOANATJ-3-1.pdf [16] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kathryn-Flowers/publication/344321454_Buried_in_the_sand_Uncovering_the_ecological_roles_and_importance_of_rays/links/6151e391f8c9c51a8af9fd3e/Buried-in-the-sand-Uncovering-the-ecological-roles-and-importance-of-rays.pdf