A talented photographer captured mesmerizing pictures of the world’s only known pink manta ray.
Finnish underwater photographer, Kristian Laine, who took the beautiful snaps of the pink manta ray, says it was an “absolutely unforgettable encounter”.
A ray with such a unique color has been seen only a handful of times since it was first spotted in 2015. Kristian was extremely lucky to get within touching distance of this exceptional marine wonder. He captured his outstanding photographs last year, near Lady Elliot Island in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
The photographer excitingly explains about his amazing experience seeing the pink marvel:
“It is very rare because I think there has only been around eight to 10 sightings since the first sighting in 2015. I felt amazed afterwards but also felt like when I was in its eye level, I felt like he was smiling at me.”
Kristian adds that he was extremely close to the ray.
“He was big and I got into a touch range but obviously didn’t touch, I was super close, about a metre at best. The whole encounter lasted for about 20 to 30 minutes and he was part of a mating manta train that was just circling around a cleaning station.”
The unusual creature is called Inspector Clouseau, after the inspector from ‘The Pink Panther’. Usually, the reef manta rays are either black, white, or a combination of both colors. The pink color is quite outstanding and almost unreal. However, but scientists have confirmed it’s absolutely real.
The lucky photographer shares:
“I have read multiple different answers, they have analysed a sample of his skin and they have changed their theories many times and still don’t seem to know for sure. I think the latest theory is that it’s some sort of a genetic mutation causing a pink of melanin to be expressed.”
