Giant Pacfic Manta Ray

The Pacific Manta is the largest species of ray, with a wingspan of up to 30ft—the width of a tennis court. Like the whale shark, mantas are filter feeders, travelling with the currents across expanses of open ocean in search of waters made rich with plankton by upwellings from deep below the surface. Weighing as much as two tons, a lone manta can eat more than 200 kilograms of plankton in a single week.

Whale Shark

The whale shark is the largest of all fish. Forty feet long—the length of a tractor trailer—whale sharks can weigh more than twenty tons: four times the size of the Great White Shark. Whale sharks are filter feeders: vacuuming vast amounts of plankton, fish and plants into a gaping mouth so wide a sports car could fit inside.

Bottlenose Dolphins

Named for their short, stubby beak, bottlenose dolphins are social animals—travelling in pods of 10 to 30. Their brain-to body ratio—believed to be a measure of intellect—is second only to humans. Shrewd creatures, dolphins are able to coordinate hunts: herding and then harvesting schools of fish.

Octopus

The common octopus is a master of disguise—one of the few creatures on earth able to alter its appearance in a heartbeat. It possesses thousands of colour-changing cells just below the surface of the skin. The octopus is able to change the texture of its skin as well. A complex network of muscles and nerves controls projections on the skin, creating small bumps or tall spikes to match the surrounding rocks and coral.

Whitetip Shaks Resting

Unlike other requiem sharks, which must swim constantly to force oxygenated water over their gills, whitetip reef sharks are able to breathe while stationary by using muscles around their mouths to pull in water that then flows over their gills. Whitetip reef sharks will remain still for much of the day, before jumping into action at night—scouring the darkened reefs for small fish, eels and crabs.

School of Jacks

The jacks here at Socorro Island swim in schools to protect themselves from predators. As the size of the school increases, more eyes are able to scan greater areas of the ocean for predators, increasing safety and allowing more time to concentrate on feeding. Food in the ocean is not always easy to find. The more eyes on the lookout, the greater the chances of discovering a meal.

Destination spotlight: Socorro Islands in Mexico

Our production crews photographed some amazing and rare creatures while on location in the waters surrounding the Socorro Islands, for Great Blue Wild. Also referred to as the Revillagigedos Archipelago, and frequently compared to the Galapagos Islands, this chain of four volcanic islands sits approximately 400km south of Cabo San Lucas in the eastern Pacific ocean.

The majority of endemic animal life found on the island consists of birds, and the only other vertebrates who call the islands their home are two species of iguanid, and one species of whipsnake. Many seabirds flock to these islands during breeding season, or as a stopover during migration periods.

These islands are a popular destination for scuba divers, as the surrounding waters house a number of amazing creatures, including the whitetip reef shark, Pacific manta rays and the largest of all fish, the mighty whale shark. Take a look through the gallery above to see some of the amazing photos our crew captured during their trip.

Tags: In the Field, ocean, pacific ocean, sharks, water