Rare manta ray born in captivity (Reuters/CNN)

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- A Japanese aquarium is celebrating a special new arrival this week -- a giant manta ray keepers say is the world's first ever born in captivity.

Video footage shows the 6-foot baby being squeezed out of her mother's body rolled up like a carpet, before unfurling her fins and flitting gracefully across the tank at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan's southernmost prefecture.

"My heart was heavy at first because I thought it had been still-born, but we were so relieved when she finally started swimming around," the aquarium's manta ray breeder, Minoru Toda, said in a telephone interview.

The birth on Saturday followed a pregnancy of more than a year after the 4.2 meter mother ray mated with a male manta also kept at the aquarium.

Aquarium workers will have to rely on intuition when feeding and caring for the new baby, because scientific knowledge about their development is limited, Toda said. (Watch the birth) Video
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/06/18/japan.manta.reut/index.html

I thought rays and sharks were hatched from egg cases.

Source: Associated Press

Baby manta at Japan aquarium dies

26 minutes ago

TOKYO - A giant manta ray baby that was believed to be the
first born in captivity died Thursday after being abused by
its father, Japanese keepers said.

The female baby manta was born Saturday at the Okinawa
Churaumi Aquarium, more than a year after its parents mated.

The baby manta, which was more than 6 feet wide, was
pronounced dead Thursday morning after living only 4 1/2
days, the aquarium said in a statement.

-snip-

Keepers believe the baby died of bruises and cuts, apparently
caused by its abusive father that constantly chased after the
baby, often slamming into it, the aquarium said.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070621/ap_on_re_as/japan_baby_manta_1