Manta Rays on the Alabama Gulf Coast

The manta ray is the largest species of stingray. The largest specimen documented was over twenty-five feet wide and weighed an incredible five thousand and one hundred pounds. The typical manta on the Alabama Gulf Coast tops out at 15 feet wide and 500 pounds-- still a huge fish!

It has been speculated that manta rays evolved from smaller bottom feeders, possibly the sting rays that are common on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Eventually, they adapted and became filter feeders. Their rectangular mouth is perfect for open-ocean feeding. Plankton and fish larva are the main source of food for the manta ray. Mantas are a food source for small fish-- the smaller fish gain nutrition by cleaning parasites from the manta.

Mantas are prey for sharks and orcas, even though mantas are closely related to those creatures.






Mantas are usually dark in color and can be brown, blue or black on the top. The edges are lighter and they have a white underbelly. They do have some patterns on their skin. Researchers and scientists use these patterns to identify individuals.

The teeth of the manta have changed over time. The teeth in the lower jaw are now covered by skin. The dermal denticles (similar to fish scales) have also been reduced in size and number. Mantas have a tail that is similar to that of a stingray; however, they do not have stingers in their tails. They are not dangerous to people in the water.

Mantas are really curious creatures, and they often swim close to humans. Mantas will occasionally come close to the surface and swim near boats just to check out what is going on up there. They are actually very funny to watch as they really try to interact with people, in a good way.

It is important to never intentionally touch a manta. Touching the ray will remove the mucous layer which protects the skin. Merely touching the manta ray can cause lesions that will take months to heal. This is dangerous to the fish because bacteria can enter the wound and cause a major infection that could result in death.

There is a new program that allows scientists to tag any manta found offshore in coastal Alabama. These tags are the same as global positioning sensors. The researchers can monitor the patterns of migration of the rays. This will allow them to understand where they travel and for what reasons. Understanding their migratory patterns can help scientists learn more about the elusive manta.

It is really important for anyone that sees a manta in coastal Alabama to contact the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The lab is trying to keep track of the mantas that come into the area

Fairhope, Alabama

The beautiful city of Fairhope Alabama sits on a sloping plateau amidst the shoreline of Mobile Bay. Population is around 14,000. You aren't likely to find a more pleasant place to visit or live.

Fairhope regularly shows up on "Best Places to Live or Retire" lists, among those are Money Magazine and U.S. News and World Report.

Fairhope was first settled sometime around November of 1894, where Alabama City used to be. The Fairhope Industrial Association founded the town as a Utopian colony espousing single taxation. The colony's principal founder was social philosopher Henry George. He had twenty-eight followers, the basis of the city's original citizens.

Their goals were to establish and conduct a model colony which was to be free from all kinds of private monopoly and where they could secure city members equal opportunity, as well as rewards for individual efforts. The first citizens of Fairhope Alabama pooled money to purchase some land, including Stapleton's Pasture, located on the eastern edge of Mobile Bay. The city fathers divided the land into long-term leaseholds. Rent paid all government taxes and this simulated a single tax.

A corporation called Fairhope Single-Tax is still in operation. It has 1,800 leaseholds, spread out over 4,000 acres both around and in Fairhope, Alabama. In the 1910 version of "The Landlord's Game," a precursor of "Monopoly," Fairhope Avenue was included.

In 1907, educator Marietta Johnson founded a school called Organic Education in Fairhope. John Dewey praised the school in his 1915 book Schools of Tomorrow. Both Johnson and Dewey founded an association called Progressive Education. Other noted intellectuals regularly wintered in the city, and it was a magnet for artists and writers. The esteemed writer Upton Sinclair often visited the city.

Over time, the city has moved from a Utopian experiment to an intellectual's and artist's colony, and then on to an affluent suburb and boutique haven.

Residents and tourists have witnessed the jubilee phenomenon for over fifty years. A variety of aquatic animals, which include flounder, blue crabs, eels, catfish and stingrays move to very shallow water. The timing of jubilees are unpredictable, but they occur during the summer months, usually just before dawn. If you are lucky enough to be in Fairhope during a jubilee, grab a net and you will certainly catch dinner. The phenomenon is thought to be caused by a lack of oxygen in the water due to decaying vegetation.

Weeks Bay National Estuarine Reserve boasts a wide variety of wildlife and plant species in a swamp forest. There is an elevated walkway, so the visitor can walk easily through the wetlands. This is one of the few places that you can see a pitcher plant bog in the wild. These plants are carnivorous, but don't worry-- they only eat insects. Early spring is the time to see the pitcher plants in bloom, but other plants are in bloom all the way into late fall. Pitcher plants create an ecosystem that can not be found anywhere else on Earth.

If you are visiting in March, you might be in town during the Annual Arts & Crafts Festival. In 2011, it is scheduled for March 18, 19 & 20. More than 200 artists and craftsmen bring some of their work to be purchased or just enjoyed. Live entertainment is also a highlight of the festival. If you are anywhere within driving distance of Fairhope Alabama and enjoy events of this nature, this is one you will want to attend.

Red Tide in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Red tide is a natural phenomenon that occurs when temperature, salinity, and nutrients reach a certain level, resulting in a higher than normal concentration of a certain type of algae (Karenia brevis). The exact formula is unknown, but it is known to occur when the temperature is high and rainfall and wind is low.

The outbreak doesn't have to be red in color. It can appear green, brown, or purple. The water might even retain its normal color.

One is most likely to occur in the Gulf Shores, Alabama, area during the summer or early fall.

Unless the surf is rough and pushing salt spray into the air, people enjoying the beach will probably not even know that an outbreak is in their vicinity.

Most beach tourists have never heard of the phenomenon until they experience one, and then they worry whether it is dangerous. Symptoms include sneezing, tearing, coughing, and eye, nose, and throat irritation. Contact with red tide might remind the tourist of the last cold or allergic reaction he experienced. Symptoms usually subside once leaving the affected beach.

Red tide is nothing but a discomfort to otherwise healthy people, but it is inadvisable to "stick it out." If the beach you usually enjoy is affected, find another beach or even move to a protected water. This is especially good advice for those with respiratory conditions like emphysema or asthma.

Particularly bad outbreaks can kill fish, sometimes millions of them. Most of the fish killed are small "bait fish," but sometimes larger fish like hardhead catfish and flounder wash up dead on the beaches. Often it is the dead fish that drive tourists from the beaches. Thousands of dead fish on the beach is unpleasant, at best.

Caution should be exercised walking barefoot around dead, larger fish.