7 March 2020 | New Scientist | 29Clouseau returns
Photographer Kristian Laine
Agency Magnus News Agency
THIS reef manta ray (Mobula
alfredi) has stolen hearts all over
the world. Seldom photographed
since its discovery in 2015, the
pink fish recently went viral
when photographer Kristian
Laine captured it swimming
through the Great Barrier Reef
near Lady Elliot Island, off the
coast of Queensland, Australia.
Laine didn’t realise at the time
that he had seen the only known
pink manta ray in the world,
affectionately dubbed Inspector
Clouseau after the protagonist
of the Pink Panther franchise.
He told the website ScienceAlert
that he had never heard of a pink
manta when he first saw it, and
initially thought his camera wasn’t
working properly. The more than
3-metre-long manta ray elicited a
similar reaction when it was first
photographed by Ryan Jeffrey, a
regular diver off Lady Elliot Island.
Scientists aren’t certain what
gives Clouseau the pink hue on
its underside. Project Manta, a
research group at the University
of Queensland, took a skin sample
from the fish in 2016 and decided
its colour wasn’t caused by diet
or infection. The most likely
explanation is that its pink hue
is due to a genetic mutation in
a protein that expresses the
pigment melanin.
Many fish have this mutation,
but it usually results in albinism.
Guy Stevens, CEO of conservation
group Manta Trust, has speculated
that Clouseau’s existence suggests
there may be manta rays of other
unusual colours out there. ❚
Jason Arunn Murugesu