Pink manta ray
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'The whole encounter lasted for about 20 - 30 minutes and he was part of a mating manta train that was just circling around a cleaning station.' 'He was big and I got into a touch range but obviously didn't touch, I was super close, about a metre at best. 'I felt amazed afterwards but also felt like when I was in its eye level I felt like he was smiling at me. He said: 'It is very rare because I think there has only been around eight to ten sightings since the first sighting in 2015. Mr Laine posted pictures of Inspector Clouseau on his Instagram account. Solomon David, an aquatic ecologist at Louisiana's Nicholls State University in the US, told National Geographic: ''Having seen other pigmentation-related mutations in fishes, it's not completely unexpected that this exists, but it's really cool to see regardless.' In some animals, it can create an unusual reddish hue, but it also has the potential to turn an animal pink.
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This is similar to melanism and albinism which causes some animal species to appear black and white, receptively.Įrythrism is a genetic mutation which alters how the body produces melanin, the chemical in skin which creates colour. He said: 'It is very rare because I think there has only been around eight to ten sightings since the first sighting in 2015'
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the DIVERS24 quarterly magazine! The digital version of the magazine is available free of charge, while the printed version you can buy in our online shop.Mr Laine posted pictures of Inspector Clouseau on his Instagram account. You can find out more about these unusual creatures in Małgorzata Sobońska's article published in the 11th issue. Mantas are magnificent inhabitants of the sea depths. Initially, it was thought that the pink colour of the manta ray could be the result of an infection, but over time researchers gathered around The University of Queensland's Project Manta have concluded that the unusual colour is due to melanin in the animal's skin. The first documented encounter with the unusual manta ray was relatively recent, in 2015. I felt amazing because it occurred to me that I was so close," - Kristian Lane recounted his encounterĪlthough for local residents the pink manta ray is a well-known creature, and Lady Elliot Island is called its home, encounters with it are extremely rare. It wasn't until later that day that I saw a picture of a pink manta on a board on Lady Elliot Island. I actually thought that my lights had played a trick on me, making the mantas look pink. I was right in the middle of a group of mantas consisting of seven pieces. When I was going through the pictures on my camera immediately after this encounter, I looked through the viewfinder and thought it was strange that one of the mantas looked pink. Although, as it turns out, he only noted the unusual nature of the whole situation after the fact. The latest news of the appearance of the unusual pink manta ray, and the stunning photographs of its silhouette and unique colouration, comes courtesy of Kristian Lane, who was incredibly lucky to encounter it while diving near Lady Elliot Island, on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Thus, there is a good chance that most such encounters will be well documented. Fortunately, recreational dives are usually conducted in larger groups and there is always at least one person who has a camera ready to use.
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Reports of a pink manta ray encounter are very rare. It differs from these two in the fact that a few lucky people have documented the existence of this unusual creature with cameras. The pink manta ray is a creature so rare that it is almost mythical and stands in a row with the yeti or the unicorn.