A novel species of manta that washed ashore in Boynton Beach in August was collected for transportation from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University to the Smithsonian Institute this week. The manta is the first whole specimen of this subspecies to have ever been collected.

The manta was taken to Washington, D.C. by manta researcher and founder of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, Andrea Marshall. As part of a recently characterized subspecies of manta, the individual will become part of a collection of specimens located at the Smithsonian Institute, which is available for use by researchers around the world.