Marine Megafauna Foundation

The Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) is a marine biology research and conservation nonprofit known for discovering, researching, and protecting large marine animals including whale sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, whales, and dugongs.

Whale Sharks are the World's Biggest Fish
Giant Manta Ray
Marine Megafauna Foundation
Formation2009
FoundersAndrea Marshall & Simon J Pierce
Founded atTofo Beach, Mozambique
Legal status501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization
HeadquartersWest Palm Beach, Florida, United States
AffiliationsManta Matcher, Sharkbook (formerly Whaleshark.org), Galapagos Whaleshark Project, Byron Bay Leopard Shark Project, Madagascar Whale Shark Project
Websitehttps://www.marinemegafauna.org/
Formerly called
Manta Ray & Whale Shark Research Centre

MMF has permanent research & conservation sites in Mozambique, Australia, Indonesia, and Florida, as well as other temporary locations.[1][2][3][4][5]

History

MMF was founded in 2009 by marine biologists Andrea Marshall and Simon J Pierce in Tofo Beach, Mozambique.

Discoveries, research, and conservation initiatives


  • "WATCH: Investigating the Mysterious Whale Sharks of Mafia Island" (video). youtube.com. National Geographic. Jan 24, 2017.
  • "WATCH: Andrea Marshall: Queen of the Manta Rays -Nat Geo Live" (video). youtube.com. National Geographic. Jul 15, 2013.
  • "WATCH: Andrea - Queen of Mantas - First Ever Encounter with Smalleye Stingray" (video). bbc.co.uk. BBC. 2009.
  • "WATCH: Dr. Sylvia Earle Introduces the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot" (video). youtube.com. Sylvia Earle. Jan 26, 2022.


References

  1. "Manta rays form close friendships, shattering misconceptions". National Geographic. 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  2. "A wildlife first: World's biggest ocean stingray tagged in the wild". National Geographic. 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  3. Will (2019-11-20). "Marine megafauna accidentally consuming harmful microplastics in Indonesia". Oceanographic. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  4. "Whale sharks feeding in the western Indian Ocean - in pictures". The Guardian. 2018-08-09. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  5. "Manta Rays and Whale Sharks Are Consuming a Staggering Amount of Plastic". Gizmodo. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  6. Marshall, A. D.; Pierce, S. J. (April 2012). "The use and abuse of photographic identification in sharks and rays". Journal of Fish Biology. 80 (5): 1361–1379. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03244.x. PMID 22497388.
  7. Matthews-King, Alex (23 January 2017). "Whale sharks' secrets revealed by live-tracking aquatic drones". New Scientist. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  8. "How A.I. is helping to protect the endangered whale sharks of the Galapagos". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  9. Klein, JoAnna (2019-10-14). "The Mystery of the Melanistic Manta Rays". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  10. Venables, Stephanie K.; Marshall, Andrea D.; Germanov, Elitza S.; Perryman, Robert J. Y.; Tapilatu, Ricardo F.; Hendrawan, I Gede; Flam, Anna L.; van Keulen, Mike; Tomkins, Joseph L.; Kennington, W. Jason (2019-10-09). "It's not all black and white: investigating colour polymorphism in manta rays across Indo-Pacific populations". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 286 (1912): 20191879. doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.1879. PMC 6790782. PMID 31594509.
  11. "How A.I. is helping to protect the endangered whale sharks of the Galapagos". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  12. Marshall, Andrea D.; Compagno, Leonard J. V.; Bennett, Michael B. (2009-12-31). "Redescription of the genus Manta with resurrection of Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868) (Chondrichthyes; Myliobatoidei; Mobulidae)". Zootaxa. 2301: 1–28. doi:10.5281/zenodo.191734.
  13. Pierce, S.J. & Norman, B. 2016. Rhincodon typus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T19488A2365291. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T19488A2365291.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
  14. Marshall, A., Barreto, R., Carlson, J., Fernando, D., Fordham, S., Francis, M.P., Herman, K., Jabado, R.W., Liu, K.M., Pacoureau, N., Rigby, C.L., Romanov, E. & Sherley, R.B. 2022. Mobula alfredi (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T195459A214395983. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T195459A214395983.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
  15. Will (2020-12-10). "Giant manta becomes first manta ray to be listed as an endangered species". Oceanographic. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  16. Marshall, A., Barreto, R., Carlson, J., Fernando, D., Fordham, S., Francis, M.P., Derrick, D., Herman, K., Jabado, R.W., Liu, K.M., Rigby, C.L. & Romanov, E. 2022. Mobula birostris (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T198921A214397182. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T198921A214397182.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
  17. "Inhambane Seascape in Mozambique Recognized as Mission Blue Hope Spot".
  18. "WATCH: Dr. Sylvia Earle Introduces the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot" (video). youtube.com. Sylvia Earle. Jan 26, 2022.
  19. "Researchers Document the Rare Ornate Eagle Ray". Marine Megafauna Foundation. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  20. Venables, Stephanie K.; Conradie, Janneman; Marshall, Andrea D. (November 2021). "First records of the ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio from the Inhambane Province, Mozambique". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 101 (7): 1085–1088. doi:10.1017/S0025315422000054. ISSN 0025-3154. S2CID 247379157.
  21. "A wildlife first: World's biggest ocean stingray tagged in the wild". National Geographic. 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  22. Steinhoff, Nane (2022-04-06). "First digital 3D model of a manta ray created". Oceanographic. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  23. "Galapagos marine reserve: Conservationists hail expansion". BBC News. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  24. Myers, Steven Lee; Chang, Agnes; Watkins, Derek; Fu, Claire (2022-09-26). "How China Targets the Global Fish Supply". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  25. Collyns, Dan (2020-08-06). "'They just pull up everything!' Chinese fleet raises fears for Galápagos sea life". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  26. "Ocean Guardians". Unesco Green Citizens. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
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