Oceanic manta rays are the largest ray species in the world, reaching over 23 feet from wingtip to wingtip and weighing over 5,000 pounds! These gentle giants are filter feeders, and spend their life constantly on the move seeking their tiny zooplankton prey.
Once in abundance across the ocean, today the oceanic manta ray and many of its smaller cousins are considered endangered by the IUCN. This is largely due to the unsustainable practices of the fin and gill trade where they are actively hunted, as well as the commercial fishing industry where gear accidentally ensnares the species as bycatch.
Manta rays are one of the many species we hope to teach students and the public about through the #SeaOfConnections campaign with @CanvasOfTheWild. Support the campaign at bit.ly/SeaOfConnections (linked in or bio).
Artwork by @Kellyofthewild
#OPSociety#MantaMonday#RacingExtinction
We’ve been working hard to ensure the broadest global access to our first Academy-award winning documentary, The Cove (2009). As a result, we are happy to announce you can now rent or buy the film on all of your favorite platforms, and some new ones to boot! Access The Cove through the link in our bio, and stay tuned for additional platforms as they come online!
#OPSociety#TheCove
Common bottlenose dolphins are found all over the world, with some populations specializing in coastal habitats and others preferring the pelagic. The coastal dolphins can be territorial and often utilize a variety of habitats – from bays and estuaries to seagrass beds and coral reefs.
As a #cetacean ; bottlenose dolphins are considered one of the smartest animals on the planet, challenging even the great apes. Their intelligence is likely due to their complex social structures; where families (called pods) remain close, individual relationships are formed, and hunting strategies coordinated as a team.
Across the world, each population develops specific hunting techniques best adapted to their environment and then passes down these self-learned behaviors to the next generation. One example is what scientists call "mud plume feeding" - where South Florida dolphins have developed this clever technique to corral fish by kicking up mud around them, which makes the fish jump out of the water and right into the mouths of waiting dolphins!
Learn more about this species and how you can help protect these intelligent and curious beings on @oceanicpreservationsociety 💙
Artwork by @kellyofthewild
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#seaofconnections#oceanlove#oceanlover#dolphin#dolphins#bottlenosedolphin#dolphinart#dolphinlove#dolphinlover#cetaceans#whaletail#ops#opsociety#scientificillustration#marinescience#steamlearning#steameducation
Take a moment to get to know our latest #OPSFeatureArtist- @melodysmithsart! Her series on critically endangered species portrays each amazing animal in its habitat with floral motifs and fabric patterns that are native to each animal’s region.
She is currently donating a portion of the proceeds from her prints to support our work at #OPSociety!
Head to melodysmithsart.com/sale (linked in our bio) to check our her work!
#Grindadrap Update:
This weekend, an estimated 63 pilot whales were killed in Sandagerði, Faroe Islands, marking the first hunt of 2022.
While our work continues to change hearts and minds in the Faroes, we must let the Faroese Government know that we condemn these brutal hunts.
TAKE ACTION: Please join us and send a letter to the Faroese Government to express your opposition to the hunts and support the Faroese voices that are speaking out against the hunts. Go to: bit.ly/OPSAction (linked in our bio)
#OPSociety
Photo: @blueplanetsociety