![]() While black manta rays may look stealthy to us, their darker coloration could, in fact, make them more visible to predators. But scientists questioned whether it could have any benefits or disadvantages to manta rays. In some terrestrial species, melanism has been linked to improved camouflage or increased thermoregulation. While melanism is relatively common in terrestrial animals, like black panthers (which are in fact leopards or jaguars), it is rare in marine species. Although they are often mistaken as a different species, these melanistic individuals are simply a different color variation (or ‘color morph’) within a species. Melanism occurs when an increase in darker pigments in an animal’s skin or fur results in darker-colored or entirely black individuals. ![]() Their research, which is published today, found that the frequency of melanism varied across the studied locations, and that this variation was more likely a result of random evolutionary processes such as genetic drift, as opposed to selection by predation. ![]() In a new study – the first to investigate melanism in a marine species – scientists from the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF), University of Western Australia, University of Papua, Udayana University, Murdoch University, and Macquarie University set out to learn more about this fascinating color variation. Have you ever seen a black manta ray and wondered what makes it that color? Or whether the darker coloration has any effect on the way the animal lives and behaves?
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