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There is a new ruling pair that reigns in the Ruins Lagoon. Our marine life experts introduce our most recent manta additions, aptly named Poseidon and Apollo.
Since July 2000, Atlantis has exhibited 7 giant manta rays in our Ruins Lagoon. Our guests and employees have grown so accustomed to seeing these regal animals gliding through the lagoon that the short transitional period without the last two mantas, Achilles and Adonis, resulted in a sense of emptiness. So when the latest two mantas joined their new Atlantis family on June 8th, the Marine Life team was ecstatic!
Both mantas were named in keeping with Greek mythology. Apollo, the smaller of the two (wingspan 8ft 9in), was god of the sun and according to Greek legend, son of Zeus. Poseidon (wingspan 9ft 2in) was Zeus’ brother and god of the sea. Now, as we would like to believe, this “uncle and nephew” duo has swiftly become accustomed to life at Atlantis. They have both been weighed, had their blood drawn for testing, and had identification microchips inserted. Furthermore, manta rays have the largest brain to body ratio of all the sharks and rays, so in just a few weeks, they have already learned the acrobatics involved in surface feeding.
Thankfully, our guests can once again stand in awe of these majestic mantas, watching as they fly through the lost city of Atlantis!
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