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Manta Matcher
Manta Matcher is a global online database for manta rays. It is one of the Wildbook Web applications developed by Wild Me, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization in the United States, and was created in partnership with Andrea Marshall of the Marine Megafauna Foundation. Manta rays have unique spot patterning on their undersides, which allows for individual identification. Scuba divers around the world can photograph mantas and upload their manta identification photographs to the Manta Matcher website, supporting global research and conservation efforts. Manta Matcher is a pattern-matching software that eases researcher workload; key spot pattern features are extracted using a scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm, which can cope with complications presented by highly variable spot patterns and low contrast photographs. This citizen science tool is free to use by researchers worldwide. Manta Matcher represents a global initiative to centralize manta ray sightings an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Citizen Science
Citizen science (CS) (similar to community science, crowd science, crowd-sourced science, civic science, participatory monitoring, or volunteer monitoring) is scientific research conducted with participation from the public (who are sometimes referred to as amateur/nonprofessional scientists). There are variations in the exact definition of citizen science, with different individuals and organizations having their own specific interpretations of what citizen science encompasses. Citizen science is used in a wide range of areas of study, with most citizen science research publications being in the fields of biology and conservation. There are different applications and functions of citizen science in research projects. Citizen science can be used as a methodology where public volunteers help in collecting and classifying data, improving the scientific community's capacity. Citizen science can also involve more direct involvement from the public, with communities initiating proj ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manta Rays
Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins and large, forward-facing mouths. They are classified among the Myliobatiformes (stingrays and relatives) and are placed in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays). They have the largest brains and brain to body ratio of all fish, and can pass the mirror test. Mantas are found in warm temperate, subtropical and tropical waters. Both species are pelagic; ''M. birostris'' migrates across open oceans, singly or in groups, while ''M. alfredi'' tends to be resident and coastal. They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton, which they gather with their open mouths as they swim. However, research suggests that the majority of their diet (73%) actually comes from mesopelagic sources. Gestation lasts over a ye ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marine Megafauna Foundation
The Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) is a Marine biology, marine biology research and Conservation biology, conservation nonprofit known for discovering, researching, and protecting large marine animals including whale sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, whales, and dugongs. MMF has permanent research & conservation sites in Mozambique, Australia, Indonesia, and Florida, as well as other temporary locations. History MMF was founded in 2009 by marine biologists Andrea Marshall and Simon J Pierce in Tofo, Tofo Beach, Mozambique. Discoveries, research, and conservation initiatives * Developed new techniques to use photo identification and artificial intelligence to study and track populations of whale sharks and other marine animals. These are incorporated in Citizen science programs such as Sharkbook and Manta Matcher. * Discovered a new type of Manta alfredi, Manta, the "reef manta ray" (''Manta alfredi)'' * Led initiatives to add whale sharks, reef manta rays, and oceanic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manta Ray
Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular Pectoral fin#AnchPectoral, pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins and large, forward-facing mouths. They are classified among the Myliobatiformes (stingrays and relatives) and are placed in the Family (biology), family Myliobatidae (eagle rays). They have the largest brains and brain to body ratio of all fish, and can pass the mirror test. Mantas are found in warm temperate, subtropical and tropical waters. Both species are Pelagic fish, pelagic; ''M. birostris'' Animal migration, migrates across open oceans, singly or in groups, while ''M. alfredi'' tends to be resident and coastal. They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton, which they gather with their open mouths as they swim. However, research suggests that the majority of their die ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 501(c) nonprofit organizations in the US. 501(c)(3) tax-exemptions apply to entities that are organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes, for testing for public safety, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. 501(c)(3) exemption applies also for any non-incorporated community chest, fund, cooperating association or foundation organized and operated exclusively for those purposes.IR ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrea Marshall
Andrea Marshall is a Marine biology, marine biologist known for wildlife conservation and research on large marine animals like manta rays & Whale shark, whale sharks. Marshall is co-founder and a principal scientist of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, where she leads many of MMF’s projects around the world. Marshall is the subject of the Natural World (TV series), Natural World documentary ''Andrea: Queen of Mantas''. In 2013, she was named a National Geographic Society, National Geographic "Emerging Explorer" for her pioneering research and conservation work. Early life and education Marshall's interest for marine life started around age five and she was certified to dive at 12. In her youth she was always most interested in sharks. She did an undergraduate degree at the College of Creative Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara in the United States. In 2008, Marshall earned her PhD from the University of Queensland in Australia. She was the first person i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
The giant oceanic manta ray, giant manta ray, or oceanic manta ray (''Mobula birostris'') is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae, and the largest type of ray in the world. It is circumglobal and is typically found in tropical and subtropical waters, but can also be found in temperate waters. Until 2017, the species was classified in the genus ''Manta'', along with the smaller reef manta ray (''Mobula alfredi''). DNA testing revealed that both species are more closely related to rays of the genus ''Mobula'' than previously thought. As a result, the giant manta was renamed as ''Mobula birostris'' to reflect the new classification. Description The giant oceanic manta ray can grow up to in maximum length and to a disc size of across with a weight of about but average size commonly observed is . It is dorsoventrally flattened and has large, triangular pectoral fins on either side of the disc. At the front, it has a pair of cephalic fins which are forward extensions of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scuba Diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Christian J. Lambertsen in a patent submitted in 1952. Scuba divers carry their own source of breathing gas, usually compressed air, affording them greater independence and movement than surface-supplied divers, and more time underwater than free divers. Although the use of compressed air is common, a gas blend with a higher oxygen content, known as enriched air or nitrox, has become popular due to the reduced nitrogen intake during long and/or repetitive dives. Also, breathing gas diluted with helium may be used to reduce the likelihood and effects of nitrogen narcosis during deeper dives. Open circuit scuba systems discharge the breathing gas into the environment as it is exhaled, and consist of one or more diving cylinders containing breat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scale-invariant Feature Transform
The scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) is a computer vision algorithm to detect, describe, and match local ''features'' in images, invented by David Lowe in 1999. Applications include object recognition, robotic mapping and navigation, image stitching, 3D modeling, gesture recognition, video tracking, individual identification of wildlife and match moving. SIFT keypoints of objects are first extracted from a set of reference images and stored in a database. An object is recognized in a new image by individually comparing each feature from the new image to this database and finding candidate matching features based on Euclidean distance of their feature vectors. From the full set of matches, subsets of keypoints that agree on the object and its location, scale, and orientation in the new image are identified to filter out good matches. The determination of consistent clusters is performed rapidly by using an efficient hash table implementation of the generalised Hough transf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manta Alfredi
Manta or mantas may refer to: * Manta ray, large fish belonging to the genus ''Manta'' Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Manta (comics), a character in American Marvel Comics publications * Manta (''Uridium''), a spaceship in the British computer game ''Uridium'' * Manta Oyamada, a character in the Japanese manga series ''Shaman King'' * Manta and Moray, amphibious superheroes from the 1970s TV series ''Tarzan and the Super 7'' Film * '' Manta, Manta'', a 1991 German-language action comedy film Music * Death (metal band), an American band known as Mantas (1983–1984) * Jeffrey Dunn (born 1961), known as Mantas, and his band Mantas, formed in 1986 People * Manta (surname) (includes a list of people with that name) * Mantas, a given name and a surname (includes a list of people with that name) * Manta people, nomadic ethnic group in Bangladesh Places * Manta, Benin a town and ''arrondissement'' in Atakora department, Benin * Manta, Cundinamarca, a municipality an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Convention On Migratory Species
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn Convention, is an international agreement that aims to conserve migratory species throughout their ranges. The agreement was signed under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme and is concerned with conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale."Amendments, done at Bergen on 25 November 2011,to Appendices I and II to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn, 23 June 1979) – ATS 10 of 2012" Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
