2012 Sea Life The Reef Manta Ray

The final release in this popular series features an outstanding portrayal of the Manta Ray. ✔ The coin is struck by The Perth Mint from 1/2oz of 99.9% silver in proof quality. ✔ The coin’s reverse depicts a Manta Ray in color and includes The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark. ✔ Incorporated into the design are the inscriptions AUSTRALIAN SEA LIFE II – THE REEF – MANTA RAY. ✔ The Perth Mint will release no more than 10,000 of these coins. ✔ Issued as legal tender under the Australian Currency Act 1965, the coin’s obverse depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the 2012 year date. ✔ The coin is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. The coin is housed in a display case with a vividly colored coral reef shipper. Each shipper joins with other shippers in the series to create a superbly illustrated underwater scene. Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus Manta. The larger species, M. birostris, reaches 7 m (23 ft 0 in) in width while the smaller, M. alfredi, reaches 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in). Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins, and large, forward-facing mouths. They are classified among the Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) and are placed in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays). Mantas are found in temperate, subtropical, and tropical waters. Both species are pelagic; M. birostris migrates across open oceans, singly or in groups, while M. alfredi tends to be resident and coastal. They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton, which they swallow with their open mouths as they swim. Gestation lasts over a year, producing live pups. Mantas may visit cleaning stations for the removal of parasites. Like whales, they breach, for unknown reasons. Both species are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Anthropogenic threats include pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, and direct harvesting for their gill rakers for use in Chinese medicine. Their slow reproductive rate exacerbates these threats. They are protected in international waters by the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, but are more vulnerable closer to shore. Areas where mantas congregate are popular with tourists. Only a few aquariums are large enough to house them. In general, these large fish are seldom seen and difficult to study.