This exhibit has ended.

There has been a new addition at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. A second black manta, a black variant of the Alfred manta, is now on display for the first time in nine years.
 

A new exhibition, a black variant of the Alfred manta, commonly known as the "black manta"

≪Alfred manta≫
Scientific name：Mobula alfredi

Alfred mantas are rays that inhabit the tropics and nearby waters throughout the world. Alfred mantas are in the genus Mobula, which are the largest rays. Their disc width (width of the body) reaches 4 meters. They are commonly called mantas and feed mainly on plankton.

Size of Exhibit

Alfred manta（Male）　disc width272㎝,　Weight150㎏

Exhibit duration

July 22, 2024～

Place of exhibit

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium　"The Kuroshio Sea"
*Exhibit may close depending on the condition of the animals.

Usually, the dorsal (upper) side of a manta is black, and its ventral (lower) side is white. However, this individual’s ventral side is mostly black. Divers rarely see black mantas, and there is little information about them worldwide. They are extremely rare.

At Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, rearing both a male and female rare black manta will allow us to see if there are any behavioral differences between the black manta and the normal Alfred mantas. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is the only place in the world that has successfully bred Alfred mantas. We wish to use the knowledge gained through captive breeding to help with the conservation of Alfred mantas.