Manta Ray

True Wild Life | Manta Ray | The manta ray is a large species of flattened fish, closely related to other cartilaginous fish such as sharks. The manta ray is the largest species of ray in the world with some manta ray individuals reaching up to 9 meters wide. The manta ray is most commonly found in the warmer, tropical of waters of the world's oceans, typically around coral reefs and along the continental shelves where food is in abundance. However, due to their enormous size, manta rays are also commonly spotted hunting out in the open ocean.

The manta ray is a solitary animal and is also a graceful swimmer. Like other large species of fish, manta rays swim by moving their pectoral fins up and down which propels their enormous body through the surrounding water. The short tail of the manta ray also allows the manta ray to be more acrobatic with it's movement, and they have even be seen leaping out of the water. Manta rays are known to frequently visit cleaning stations where small fish such as wrasse and angelfish swim in the manta ray's gills and over it's skin to feed, in the process cleaning it of parasites and dead tissue. Manta rays are generally not interested in eating these smaller fish as they are providing a great service to the manta ray.

Unlike many sharks, manta rays do not actually have teeth and instead sieve the food particles out of the water using rows of tiny plates in their mouths, which they funnel in their mouths as they swim. Manta rays eat tiny marine organisms including microscopic plankton, small fish and crustaceans. Despite it's large size, the relatively docile nature of the manta ray means that it is actually preyed upon by a number of large marine predators. Large species of shark such as the great white shark, killer whales and also humans are known to hunt the manta ray.

After mating the female manta ray lays a couple of eggs which actually develop and then hatch inside her. This process is known as aplacental viviparity and is quite commonly seen in the reproduction of a number of shark and ray species. Within 6 weeks of hatching, the female manta ray gives birth to 1 or 2 manta ray pups, which develop into large adults fairly quickly. Today, although the manta ray is not considered to be a species that is in imminent danger of extinction in the wild, the manta ray population numbers have been declining more quickly in recent years. Manta rays are particularly susceptible to pollution in the water and are quickly affected by overfishing in certain areas, and therefore a lack of food.

Gentoo Penguin

True Wild Life | Gentoo Penguin | The gentoo penguin is a medium-sized species of penguin that is found on the rocky islands of the sub-Antarctic Ocean. Gentoo penguins are most easily distinguished by the white "bonnet-like" marking across the top of their heads, and are most closely related to the Adelie and Chinstrap penguins which belong to the same group. The gentoo penguin breeds on many sub-Antarctic islands, with the main colonies found on the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Kerguelen Islands. Smaller populations of the gentoo penguin are also found on Macquarie Island, Heard Islands, South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The total breeding population of the gentoo penguin is estimated to be over 300,000 pairs.

The gentoo penguin is the third largest species of penguin in the world behind the king penguin and the emperor penguin, with adult gentoo penguins reaching heights of up to 80cm in the southern parts of their range. The gentoo penguins found further north, are on average, slightly heavier and taller than their southern counterparts. Like other penguin species, the gentoo penguin has had to adapted to inhabiting very harsh conditions and having to get all of it's food from the freezing ocean. Gentoo penguins use their wings to propel them through the water and are thought to be the fastest swimming of all penguin species, able to reach speeds of nearly 30mph in the water.

The gentoo penguin is a carnivorous animal, that like all other penguin species, survives on a diet that is only comprised of marine animals. Krill and small crustaceans make up the bulk of the gentoo penguin's diet along with larger organisms including squid and various species of fish. Due to the fact that they inhabit quite uncompromising regions, gentoo penguins have no natural land-based predators. However, larger marine animals that also inhabit the freezing waters of the Antarctic Ocean will prey on these water-based birds, with leopard seals, sharks, humans and killer whales being the main predators of the gentoo penguin.

On average, the gentoo penguin breeds once a year, forming pairs that usually remain faithful to one another. The female gentoo penguin lays two eggs which are incubated by both parents for just over a month months, when only one of the eggs will usually hatch. The gentoo penguin chicks are fed and kept warm by their parents and remain with them until the chicks are around three months old. Today, the gentoo penguin is a near threatened animal as they are easily affected by changes in the water, both pollution and temperature. Gentoo penguin populations in some areas have also been depleted through human hunting.