Gliding through warm ocean waters, the odd, yet majestic, manta ray looks like something out of this world. Its body is relatively flat, like a diamond-shaped pancake with wings, and it has a narrow tail that trails behind it. At its mouth are structures known as cephalic lobes, appendages that helps funnel water into its mouth while feeding, according to NOAA.
Per the Manta Trust, there are three types of manta rays: giant, reef, and Atlantic. They typically have similar coloring, ranging from black to midnight blue, with some having white patches on the shoulders and some having dark, distinguishing spots on their mostly white underbellies.
However, there is one manta ray whose color stands out from them all. While leading a diving group in 2015, an Australian diving instructor spotted a pink manta ray. Other sightings have confirmed this pink manta ray, and it has even been given the nickname ‘Inspector Clouseau’ after the detective from the Pink Panther.
But what caused this ray’s skin to turn pink?
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Spotting the Pink Manta Ray
The pink manta ray, Inspector Clouseau, or Pinky as he is known to Project Manta, an organization affiliated with the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, stunned divers when they first laid eyes on him. Instead of the typical white underbelly, this manta ray’s was a stark rosy pink.
According to an article in Australian Geographic about Inspector Clouseau, one of the divers who captured images of him, Kristian Laine, thought the camera must be malfunctioning; there was no way a pink manta ray had appeared. But lo and behold, there was Inspector Clouseau and all of his pink glory.
Researchers have spotted Inspector Clouseau, an 11-foot male, within a group of other males courting female manta rays. So far, none of the other members of his cohort seems to be pink.
What Made the Manta Ray Pink?
The fact that this manta ray could be pink also stunned scientists. Researchers with Project Manta wanted to determine whether the pink skin was natural or caused by an illness. In 2016, one of the researchers with the project took a small skin biopsy from Inspector Clouseau’s underbelly.
According to an article from the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort (near where Inspector Clouseau was first spotted), the team analyzed the tissue sample for structural changes but found that the tissue was consistent with regular colored manta rays.
The team also ran a DNA analysis to compare Inspector Clouseau’s sample to the manta rays in his cohort and found no difference. According to the article, these findings ruled out diet as the cause of the pink skin.
Further analysis revealed that Inspector Clouseau was also likely not sick, and the color change was likely due to a genetic mutation that caused melanin to be expressed as pink instead of white. The team believes it could be an example of erythrism — a genetic mutation that causes fur, skin, or feathers to have a redder or pinker hue in some animals, such as grasshoppers, leopards, raccoons, badgers, and some birds.
Are There More Pink Manta Rays?
So far, to the best of our knowledge, Inspector Clouseau is the only pink manta ray researchers have spotted. According to Project Manta, researchers have spotted him near Lady Elliot Island multiple times, usually courting a mate, though they have not spotted any baby pink manta rays.
While there have been multiple Inspector Clouseau sightings, there hasn’t been one for the last few years. Some of the last reported sightings came in around early 2020. It’s possible Inspector Clouseau is still out there, but much like his pink skin, his whereabouts are still a mystery to be solved.
Read More: Manta Rays Dive Almost 4,000 Feet into the Deep Ocean — Not for Food, But for Directions
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from NOAA: Giant Manta Ray
- This article references information from Manta Trust: Manta and Devil Ray Species
- This article references information from Australian Geographic: Stunning photographs of the Great Barrier Reef’s pink manta ray
- This article references information from Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort: The world is tickled pink for Inspector Clouseau
- This article references information from Project Manta
- This article references information from News Channel 8: Rare pink manta ray spotted in Australia
