A new and interesting attraction has recently been added to the sights of Georgia for tourists, especially for those, who have never experienced the pleasure of seeing manta rays.
A young female manta ray, named Nandi, was found in the Indian Ocean caught in nets, which had been set up for catching sharks. Manta rays are large diamond-shaped marine animals, with short and thin tails, and wide “wings”, which move up and down while they move through the water. A mature manta rays’ wingspan measures up to 20 feet, but Nandi is still young and her wingspan measures 9 feet and she weighs 450 pounds. In spite of their looks and enormous size, manta rays are not harmful and unlike other rays, they do not have poisonous spines or barbs. Manta rays eat small fish and other marine animals.
Nandi has recently been moved from South Africa to Atlanta, Georgia. The new manta ray is named after the mother of African king Zulu Shaka, comparing her unique talent of calming the furious king down with Nandi’s calming appearance. “When you look at her for a while and watch her swim, she’s just a very elegant creature,” says Tonya Clauss, the veterinarian of the Ocean Voyager tank, as CNN reports.
Now the manta ray lives in the Ocean Voyager tank, which is the largest aquarium in the world, measuring 6.3 million gallons. Primarily the tank was built for whale sharks and today Nandi shares the aquarium with four whale sharks and other different fish. The Ocean Voyager tank is among the four aquariums in the world, which have the opportunity to exhibit manta rays.
Nandi has already attracted the attention of many visitors. This is a great advantage for the Ocean Voyager tank. Georgia Aquarium chief executive officer Mike Leven says: “The addition of Nandi … gives us the opportunity to elevate her as an ambassador for her species,” according to CNN.
Therefore, if sharks and other marine animals don’t fill you with enough curiosity to visit the Ocean Voyager tank, the new manta ray surely will.
Photo: © edition.cnn.com
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