Among the thousands of marine life in our ocean-fed lagoons, one is unmistakable: a graceful Atlantic manta ray named Kronos. He’s about 18 months old and already has a wingspan of more than six feet, which could reach 20 feet when he’s fully grown. Our Sea Keeper team makes sure Kronos receives a nutrient-rich diet of krill, prepared daily in our Fish Kitchen.
The Atlantic manta ray (Mobula yarae) is a newly discovered species that, like all other rays, is expected to be classified as endangered or vulnerable. While Kronos is at Atlantis, our marine life experts will study and document his health and behavioral information, which will be invaluable to international scientists and conservationists who protect marine species in the wild.
Kronos is the 15th manta we’ve studied over the past two decades and after about three years in our care, he’ll be tagged and released to the wild.
Kronos joins five other ray species at Atlantis: southern stingray, cownose ray, Caribbean ray, motoro stingray and spotted eagle ray, which gets its name from its distinct pattern of white spots on its back. Like sharks, rays are elasmobranchs and instead of bones, they have cartilage that enables them to move swiftly through the water. Rays are found in all the world’s oceans, and in addition to their winglike pectoral fins, they have long, slender tails that can have razor-sharp, venomous spines.
Rays are under protection because they face serious threats in the wild. They are intentionally caught by fisheries who profit from the sale of their gill plates—highly valued in some cultures. They are vulnerable to boat strikes and being caught in fishing lines. And warming oceans threaten their primary source of food: zooplankton, which are tiny organisms like crustaceans, shrimp, crab and mollusk larvae, and fish eggs.
It’s rare to have a manta ray in our care, especially a newly discovered species. We invite you to visit this remarkable animal while he’s with us. And if you’d like to support our research, we welcome your donation to the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation.