Science society hosts talk on manta rays
16 Mar 2010, 1:04 AM
Kate Wilson
The Maldives Science Society in affiliation with Aqua Dreams Imagine (ADI) hosted a talk by Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler on manta rays in the Maldives at Hiriyaa School.
The talk attracted around 120 people, mostly keen high school students eager to hear about the manta rays the Maldives is famous for.
After first visiting the Maldives in 1983 as a tourist, Anne-Marie has since dedicated her life to these creatures, conducting research for her PhD at the University of Newcastle in the UK alongside her work as a dive instructor. With over 4,000 dives in the name of research, she has spent almost half a year underwater.
Anne-Marie explained that mantas have evolved and adapted to their environment over 400 million years, and certain species can grow up to almost seven metres in length – the size of a London double-decker bus. However the Maldives mostly attracts smaller mantas, she explained.
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