Lessons from birth of a giant manta ray

This is a video of a giant manta ray in the Oceanario in Lisbon, Portugal.

From the Washington Post in the USA:

Death of Manta Ray Sheds New Light on Species

By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, July 2, 2007; Page A06

So you’re a pregnant manta ray, and you’re about to give birth to a baby with, oh, a six-foot wingspan. How on Earth will you manage that?

Now, for the first time, scientists can answer that question: You gently flap your glorious, 13-foot-wide wings to swim to the bottom. You rub your swollen belly on the ground for a while. Then you gain a little altitude and, with a forceful push, you eject your precious bundle as a rolled-up, burrito-like tube, which promptly unfurls to begin its new life as one of the strangest and least-understood marine animals on the planet.

Those are a few details that have come to light from the first birth of a manta ray in captivity, on June 16 at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan.

While America was tracking Paris Hilton’s jail routine, Japan was enthralled with video coverage of the birth, which was broadcast nationwide on NHK television.

More on this aquarium here.