This all-female team is working to protect the Maldives' manta rays
CNN
Manta rays are one of the world's largest fish, yet relatively little is known about them. One team is trying to change that by studying these gentle giants.
Landaa Giraavaru, Maldives (CNN) — As Beth Faulkner bobbed up and down in the Maldives' Hanifaru Bay, she did some quick mental math.
"There's probably about 100," she said in reference to the number of reef manta rays swimming just below her. "Usually it's about 50 to 60."
Faulkner is a project manager at the Manta Trust, a conservation and research charity that studies these gentle giants. Close relatives of sharks, the largest mantas have wingspans that can reach over 20 feet. Unlike their stingray cousins, which can deliver deadly injuries, mantas are harmless, according to Faulkner.
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