![]() ![]() Last, we went to the top of the Tropical Diver gallery, where the largest indoor reef habitat is. In my eyes, it was amazing to see firsthand how animals such as manta rays can be trained. The krill is then poured directly into the manta’s mouth. Animal care specialists put krill into a long pole that the rays are trained to follow. On the other side of the pool, Nandi, another manta, was being target fed. This was likely for desensitization purposes, as this is how they are handled for any medical procedures or exams. The next stop on the tour took us to the topside of Ocean Voyager, where we had the opportunity to observe two unique things – manta ray training and feeding! On the far end of the 6.3 million gallon pool, animal care specialists lowered a stretcher into the water and guided one of the mantas in and out of it. Then, they will move out to the big world with all the other adult penguins.Īfter observing the penguin chicks, we saw the veterinary area, known here as the Correll Center, where animals could be transported for examination or surgery should the need arise. Once they lose all of them, they will learn to swim in a pool on the other side of the nursery. One of the best parts was what we saw next – the penguin nursery! Four young African penguin chicks were waddling around and preening their brown baby feathers. Otherwise, it will never find its way to an animal’s mouth or bucket. Every fish must be solid, unbroken, and clean. We then saw the commissary, where all the meals were prepared for the animals. ![]() The first thing we saw was the water chemistry lab where people were checking important qualities in the water to make sure it mimics the ocean as much as possible. We even checked out few of the exhibits and some amazing animals not on display. I got a look at just that last week! We looked at the water chemistry labs, filtration pipes and veterinary services. Thank you to all of the divers who helped this manta ray and to all of the people and organizations around the world that work to protect and conserve the ocean and its inhabitants!įor more information regarding the manta rescue, please visit .Įver wonder what it’s like behind the scenes at the Georgia Aquarium? You can see in the video the ray was scared and shy at first, but when it realized the divers were there to help the animal relaxed and let them.Īfter it was released, the manta ray then proceeded to stick around and do barrel rolls for lots of photo ops-which we are convinced was in appreciation of our efforts.” The line was digging into the ray’s flesh and when the divers noticed they knew they had to help. It is a protected area but illegal fishing still slips through the cracks every now and again which can cause serious problems for animal like this giant manta ray.Īt least 200-feet of commercial fishing line was wrapped around and trailing behind the ray. That’s what several divers experienced last month when they rescued a 16-foot manta ray near Cocos Island.Ĭocos Island is just off the coast of Costa Rica and known for it’s abundant marine life which attract divers and fishermen alike. Larger manta rays can reach up to 23 feet, while smaller species can reach up to 18 feet!īeing able to return an animal to the wild after you save it is reward enough, but when the animal itself displays its gratitude… now that may be just bring tears to a grown mans eyes!.The closest you will get to a guaranteed sighting is Lady Elliot Island in Queensland, Australia during winter when mantas congregate in the hundreds.Despite its massive size, manta rays are completely harmless to humans with a non-functioning tail spine and 300 useless little teeth.The reason behind this behavior is still a mystery to scientists. Manta rays can sometimes be seen leaping out of the water like flying saucers. ![]() The relatively slow reproduction rate makes them vulnerable to overfishing. Mantas pop out little pups every other year.The manta ray and the devil ray are extremely similar, but are actually two different species.Manta rays can be individually identified by the markings and spots on the their underside.This gives these gentle giants enough smarts to make the average dolphin jealous! Manta rays have the largest brain to body weight ratio of any living fish.Other stingrays prefer digging through the bottom of the sea, but manta rays always cruise the open ocean and only get close to the sea bed to get cleaned. ![]() Can you guess why they are named after a blanket?
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