First manta ray ever born in captivity
In Japan of all places - the first ever manta ray to be born in captivitiy saw the first light of day on 16 June 2007 in the Kuroshio tank, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan!
The baby girl born after a 374 day gestation period already bears a wingspan of 1.9 metres.
Not much is known about the biology of these majestic rays so this is quite an achievement.
More on the aquarium website at
http://www.kaiyouhaku.com/en/news/07061701_01_report.html
Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe added 2007-06-20
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Tim Hochgrebe added 2007-06-23
Sad news on this front. The poor little baby manta ray died after only 4 days.
Read on:
Update, June 21, 2007—The first giant manta born in captivity died on Thursday morning, just four days after its birth, officials at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium announced today.
The cause of death was likely bruises caused by its abusive father, which constantly chased and slammed into the baby, the aquarium reported on its Web site.
The reason for the violence remains a mystery, and investigation into the death continues, the aquarium added.
The full story is on the National Geo Website
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/06/070618-manta-ray.html
Tim Hochgrebe
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