Wearing high-tech satellite transmitters on their backs, six manta rays cruised through Mexico鈥檚 coastal waters. As they swam, they sent signals to a team of conservationists, who followed along, virtually. At the end of a two-month period, the researchers had pulled back the curtains on the ways of a most mysterious ocean giant, a species considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The mantas proved to be long-distance mariners, traveling as far as 680 miles over the study period as they searched for food. They stuck mainly to the coast, and also spent considerable time in shipping lanes, putting them at risk for collisions with freighters.

鈥淎lmost nothing is known about the movements and ecological needs of the manta ray, one of the ocean鈥檚 largest and least-known species,鈥� said Dr. Rachel Graham, lead author on the study and director of WCS鈥檚 Gulf and Caribbean Sharks and Rays Program. 鈥淥ur real-time data illuminate the previously unseen world of this mythic fish and will help to shape management and conservation strategies for this species.鈥�