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Our Long-awaited Parents and Child Exhibit! Five Mantas!
The Baby Manta Exhibit Opens in the Kuroshio Sea Large Tank
Now, we at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium announce the opening of our exhibit, presenting our Baby Manta, born last year in the Kuroshio tank, and recently returning to its birthplace after being kept in a sea pen.
The Manta Ray (Manta birostris)
Inhabiting the tropical and sub-tropical seas of the world, this is the world’s largest ray, thought to reach over 6.7 m disk (body) width. Although large, it is docile, feeding by filtering the seawater for plankton, mostly krill (shrimp relatives). Kept at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium successfully since 1988, the world’s first manta birth in captivity was recorded here in June, 2007, but unfortunately, that pup did not survive. The next year, for the second time in the world, another manta was born in captivity, in June 2008. This time was successful, and the manta pup was immediately moved and then kept for about 9 months in a nearby sea pen.
·Exhibit Opening Date: April 23, 2009 (Thursday)
·Exhibit Place: Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (Kuroshio Tank), Large tank, 35 m X 27
m, Depth 10 m, Volume 7,500 cu.m
·Exhibit individual: Female, Body width 260 cm, Weight 160 kg (At birth 185 cm, 60 kg)
The Baby Manta now on display was born June 17, 2008 in the large tank (Kuroshio Sea). As soon as it was born it was moved to an offshore pen at the sea surface, about 2 km south of the Aquarium, where after 9 months it had grown big enough to return to it to the large tank. This is first time in the world that manta parents and child have been exhibited together in the same tank.
Now in the Big Tank, she can be very carefully watched, with the hope of learning more about the natural history of this species.
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