SARASOTA, Fla. — The Sarasota Police Department's Marine Patrol spend part of its weekend with a special guest: a manta ray.
The police department posted a video of the sea creature swimming near their boat. Officers said it happened while they were on patrol duty just north of New Pass on the Gulf of Mexico side.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says some manta rays can grow to be 22 feet from fin-tip to fin-tip. Manta rays are also relatives of sharks, according to NOAA.
NOAA says giant manta rays are found all over the world in tropical, subtropical, and temperate bodies of water and are commonly found offshore, in oceanic waters. It's likely Ecuador is home to the largest population of giant manta rays, NOAA says.
NOAA asks anyone who happens to see a manta ray to report their sighting by emailing manta.ray@noaa.gov. Photos are helpful and can be used to help identify individual manta rays. They also ask people to report how big the creature is and where they saw it.
More information can be found from NOAA here.
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