Page 93 - NORTHERN GUANACASTE TOURIST GUIDE

Natural Spectacles
communication. They are also believed to do so for play and even as part of courtship.
Endangered
Unfortunately, manta rays and devil rays are increasingly threatened worldwide due to a recent surge in the demand for their gills. This organ, which is used for breathing, is falsely sold as part of Chinese “traditional medicine” to cure all kinds of ailments.
Devil rays are believed to be among the least fertile of all marine fish species. Their high vulnerability to overexploitation is due to their biological characteristics, which include late maturity (they take up to 10 years to reach sexual maturity), a long gestation period (up to about one year), an exceptionally low number of offspring (only one calf every two to three years) and significant longevity (with an estimated life expectancy of 40 years for reef manta rays).
Because they are difficult to study, very little is known about their biology and ecology, which makes it difficult to develop management and conservation programs for their populations.
Costa Rican thermal dome
an area of exceptional importance for multiple species.
Likewise, connectivity between the habitats of the high seas and the coastal areas of Central America is of significant importance for migratory species such as sharks, whales, rays, billfishes, sea turtles, and others, including species of importance for commercial fishing such as tuna, mahi mahi and squid.
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The high concentrations of nutrients, phytoplankton and other organisms essential to the food chain in the Dome make it an important carbon sink and
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