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The Mating Game

Oceans: Out of the Blue

10 Oct 2021

Locations not known for sequences 

2
3
5
6

Species features in each Sequence

1
Humpback whale
2
Green humphead parrotfish, Bull shark
3
Convict tang, Grey reef shark
4
Reef manta ray
5
Ocellaris clownfish
6
Variable neon slug
7
Persian carpet flatworm
8
Reef manta ray, Blunt-headed wrasse
9
Short-snouted seahorse
10
Banana fiddler crab
11
South American sea lion
12
Humpback whale

# Species by IUCN Conservation Status

1
Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
LC
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueHumpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueHumpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Maui, Hawaii, USA
2
Green humphead parrotfish
Bolbometopon muricatum
VU
Green humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueGreen humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueGreen humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
2
Bull shark
Carcharhinus leucas
NT
Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueBull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
3
Convict tang
Acanthurus triostegus
LC
Convict tang (Acanthurus triostegus) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueConvict tang (Acanthurus triostegus) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueConvict tang (Acanthurus triostegus) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
3
Grey reef shark
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
NT
Grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueGrey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueGrey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Blacktip reef shark also seen, but sequence focuses on the grey reef sharks
4
Reef manta ray
Mobula alfredi
VU
Reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueReef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueReef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Maldives
Unclear whether sequence took place in Maldives or Australia; according to the Guardian "Silverback, which is part of All3Media, hired a young Australian, Alex Vail, to film the manta rays off Australia. He spent 16 weeks awaiting their arrival.", but all of the BTS captions on Instagram refer to the Maldives
5
Ocellaris clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
NE
Ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueOcellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueOcellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Visual ID; most likely ocellaris due to lack of prominent black banding but may be orange clownfish
6
Variable neon slug
Nembrotha kubaryana
NE
Variable neon slug (Nembrotha kubaryana) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueVariable neon slug (Nembrotha kubaryana) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueVariable neon slug (Nembrotha kubaryana) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Multiple shown, but focus on identifying species shown when named in narration
7
Persian carpet flatworm
Pseudobiceros bedfordi
NE
Persian carpet flatworm (Pseudobiceros bedfordi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BluePersian carpet flatworm (Pseudobiceros bedfordi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BluePersian carpet flatworm (Pseudobiceros bedfordi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
"Silverback, which is part of All3Media, hired a young Australian, Alex Vail, to film the manta rays off Australia. He spent 16 weeks awaiting their arrival. Vail was also responsible for some extraordinary scenes of hermaphroditic Persian carpet flatworms “fencing” with their penises on the Great Barrier Reef."
8
Reef manta ray
Mobula alfredi
VU
Reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueReef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueReef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Maldives
8
Blunt-headed wrasse
Thalassoma amblycephalum
LC
Blunt-headed wrasse (Thalassoma amblycephalum) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueBlunt-headed wrasse (Thalassoma amblycephalum) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueBlunt-headed wrasse (Thalassoma amblycephalum) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Maldives
Closest visual ID to juvenile of species. Present in Maldives where this sequence was filmed (https://www.mantatrust.org/mating-games).. (https://www.mantatrust.org/mobulid-behavioural-ecology)
9
Short-snouted seahorse
Hippocampus hippocampus
DD
Short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueShort-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueShort-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Portugal
Visual ID. Centro de Ciencias do Mar are credited - they help conservation of these seahorses in Rio Formosa, which looks very similar to the landscape featured in the overhead shots that begin the sequence
10
Banana fiddler crab
Austruca mjoebergi
NE
Banana fiddler crab (Austruca mjoebergi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueBanana fiddler crab (Austruca mjoebergi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueBanana fiddler crab (Austruca mjoebergi) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Australia
11
South American sea lion
Otaria flavescens
LC
South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueSouth American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueSouth American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Chubut Province, Argentina
Location from credits
12
Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
LC
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueHumpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the BlueHumpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) as shown in The Mating Game - Oceans: Out of the Blue
Maui, Hawaii, USA
I assume this was also filmed in Maui along with the earlier footage of the humpback heat run.