Queen of Manta Rays

Andrea Marshall was 17 the first time she saw a manta ray. She was scuba diving in Costa Rica when one of the huge, diamond-shaped fish swooped right over her head. “It completely took my breath away,” she says. “It was the most beautiful and strange and graceful animal I’ve ever seen.”

Marshall has loved the ocean since she was a little kid in California. She became certified as a diver on her 12th birthday—the soonest it was allowed. Now, as a marine biologist, Marshall travels the world studying manta rays. She’s one of the lead scientists at the Marine Megafauna Foundation in the southeast African country of Mozambique.

Andrea Marshall was 17 when she saw her first manta ray. She was scuba diving in Costa Rica. The huge, diamond-shaped fish swam right over her head. “It completely took my breath away,” she says. “It was the most beautiful and strange and graceful animal I’ve ever seen.”

Marshall has loved the ocean since she was little. She grew up in California. She became certified as a diver on her 12th birthday. That was the soonest it was allowed. Now Marshall is a marine biologist. She travels the world studying manta rays. She’s one of the lead scientists at the Marine Megafauna Foundation. It’s based in Mozambique, a country in southeast Africa.

Marshall started out studying sharks, manta rays’ close relatives. But when she was in graduate school, she joined a study to count the manta ray population. She was surprised to learn that scientists knew very little about the animals. “I was like, ‘How is that possible?’” she says. She decided to make learning about manta rays her career.

Marshall used to study sharks. They’re closely related to manta rays. Then she went to graduate school. She joined a study to count the manta ray population. She learned that scientists knew very little about the animals. That really surprised her. “I was like, ‘How is that possible?’” she says. She decided to study manta rays herself.

Manta rays are curious animals, says Marshall. When they see her in the water, they swim over to check her out. Unfortunately, humans can also harm the animals. Some fishermen kill mantas for their gill rakers, the feathery mouthparts mantas use to catch food in the water. The parts are sold as medicine in some areas of Asia. Manta ray numbers are decreasing as a result of this threat.

Now Marshall is doing everything she can to help manta rays. She works with people in different countries to create protected areas where fishing isn’t allowed. She also keeps diving and studying the animals. “There’s so much left to discover,” she says.

Manta rays are curious animals, says Marshall. They often notice her in the water. They swim over to check her out. Unfortunately, humans can harm the animals. Some fishermen kill mantas for their gill rakers. Mantas have these feathery parts in their mouths. They use them to catch food in the water. The parts are sold as medicine in some areas of Asia. Manta ray numbers are decreasing as a result.

Now Marshall is doing everything she can to help manta rays. She works with people in different countries to create protected areas. Fishing isn’t allowed in these places. That means more mantas survive. Marshall also keeps diving and studying the animals. “There’s so much left to discover,” she says.