Renowned Marine Biologist Shares Her Love, Respect and Concern for Endangered Manta Rays

Great Big Story visited with renowned marine biologist Dr. Andrea Marshall, who has dedicated her life to documenting and becoming friends with the gentle manta rays that populate the waters near the coast of Mozambique where she lives. Marshall shared her utmost love, respect and concern for these intelligent sea animals who are happy to welcome the occasional human.

One of the things that makes manta rays so special is that they’re large and sometimes people feel frightened by them just because of their sheer size, but actually they’re one of the most gentle animals in the entire ocean. …this isn’t an animal that swims away from you, this is an animal that swims to you.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.