18 x 24 inches

Full-bleed

Fine-art Giclée print on Canson Aquarelle 310gsm archival museum-grade paper

Numbered

The giant manta ray (Mobula birostris) is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae and the largest type of ray in the world.

Giant manta rays reach sexual maturity fairly late in their lives, giving birth to just one pup every few years in the wild. They don’t look after or protect their young and so pups are extremely vulnerable when they are small. With a slow growth rate, delayed maturation, and a small number of offspring, giant mantas can’t reproduce fast enough to build back their populations once depleted.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has announced that the conservation status of the giant manta ray (or oceanic manta ray) has been changed from Vulnerable to Endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species.

Their current status is a direct result of unsustainable pressure from fishing, The ever-increasing demand for their body parts has fuelled both existing and emerging target fisheries. This relatively new Asian-based trade seems to be impacting the giant manta more than other species of manta ray, which now threatens to destabilize their populations across the globe.

From Bali, Indonesia, Awshitttttt is a self-taught artist born in 1996. With a passion for drawing and illustration since he was a child, Awshitttttt is now a professional artist focusing on digital painting and large-scale public murals. Portrait paintings, illustrations, and urban art are his artistic fields of expertise. His trademark is incorporating the delicate and iconic daisy flower as a representation of peace, love, and positivity.