The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms.

Australia-based photographer Kristian Laine recently got a glimpse at a particularly special underwater creature: the world’s only known pink manta ray. Spanning about 11 feet and nicknamed Inspector Clouseau after The Pink Panther, the aquatic animal lives near Lady Elliot Island, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef.

 

In an effort to learn more about his coloration, Project Manta did a skin biopsy in 2016. This led them to rule out illness or diet as causes for his unique color. Researchers now believe the manta ray’s pink skin is due to a genetic mutation that causes it to express melanin differently. 

Most likely this is a condition called erythrism, which causes an animal’s pigmentation to express as red or pink. Understanding this mutation could eventually help scientists learn more about how the coloration of manta rays has evolved.

According to en.wikipedia & mymodernmet.com