A manta ray is an oceanic animal and is the largest type of ray species in the World. It is usually located in the tropical and subtropical waters, but may also be discovered in the temperate waters as well. Its scientific name is called Mobula birostris.
Appearance-wise, its outer skin is smooth and consists of ridge-shaped tubercles. They are usually black, brown, or blue in color. In terms of their diet, they feed on zooplanktons where the water is rich in nutrients.
A rosy pink manta was spotted at the Great Barrier reef by the photographer Kristian Lain. As he was freediving off a Southern Island in Australia’s Great Barrier reef when he saw a sudden glimpse of a pink manta ray swimming by.
He said, “I had no idea that there were pink mantas in the World, so I was indeed very confused and for once I thought my strobes were broken or numb or doing something explicitly absurd.”
Further, he said, “[The pink manta ray] was extremely calm. I remember looking into the huge fish eyes and it felt almost as if it was smiling (or, at least, very friendly). The whole interaction lasted about 20 to 30 minutes.”
It had been proved that this sea animal had got its unusual color from a genetic mutation that releases melanin in a reddish sort of pigmentation and not from an illness or after-effects of its diet.
Images & More Info : kristianlainephotography/instagram | kristianlainephotography.com | nationalgeographic.com
