2. In fact, these creatures are quite timid and attack a person only if they are teased or disturbed.
3. The moray eel fish is a predator that has many features similar to snakes. For example, a powerful snake-like body allows them not only to move comfortably in the water, but also to hide in narrow burrows and rock crevices, which is why moray eels are often called snake fish.
4. Overall appearance These individuals are so unique that it is difficult to find another fish similar to moray eel.
5. The appearance of moray eels is quite frightening and unflattering: a huge mouth and small eyes, the body is slightly flattened on the sides. They have no pectoral fins, while the caudal and dorsal fins form one continuous fin fold.
6. Fish - the moray eel snake has no scales, and its color can vary depending on its habitat.
7. Most individuals have a variegated color with the presence of blue and yellow-brown shades, but there are also absolutely white fish.
9.Moray eels have impressive dimensions: the body length of moray eels ranges from 65 to 380 centimeters depending on the species, and the weight of individual representatives can significantly exceed 40 kilograms.
10. The front part of the fish's body is thicker than the back. Female moray eels usually have greater weight and dimensions than males.
Giant moray eel Javan lycodont
11. In total, there are about 100 species of these predatory fish in the world. Among them there are both small individuals and giants, for example, the moray eel Gymnothorax javanicus. This giant moray eel is also called the Javan gymnothorax or Javan lycodont.
12. The camouflage color of giant moray eels is somewhat reminiscent of a leopard print. The head, upper body and fins are yellow-brown and richly strewn with dark spots of various sizes. The abdominal part remains without a pattern.
13. This moray eel is rightfully considered gigantic. For clarity, you can imagine a huge snake as thick as an adult’s thigh and 2.5–3 meters long.
15. Like all representatives of fish from the moray eel family, the giant moray eel avoids open water and prefers to hide in reliable shelters located at a depth of no more than 50 meters.
16. The moray eel Gymnothorax javanicus lives in tropical and temperate waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans, the Red Sea, the coast of the islands of Southeast Asia, New Caledonia and Australia.
Yellowmouth moray
17. Some species, such as the yellowmouth moray, are capable of descending to depths of one hundred and fifty meters and even lower.
18. Huge and sharp teeth help to quickly deal with prey. Almost all moray eels have not one, but two pairs of jaws in their mouths. The first - the main one, with large teeth, is where it should be, and the second - the pharyngeal - in the pharynx area
19. During hunting, the back jaw is located deep in the throat, but as soon as the prey is close to the moray eel’s mouth, it moves almost close to the front ones. Its main purpose is to push food into the esophagus and crush it. Agree, it is unlikely that the prey will be able to escape from this double “trap”.
20.Moray eel fish do not live in schools, preferring a solitary lifestyle.
21. The basis of the diet of moray eels consists of various fish, cuttlefish, sea urchins, octopuses and crabs.
22. Most moray eels choose to live at a depth of up to forty meters, spending most of their time in shallow water.
23. Moray eels are rarely eaten, so there is no targeted fishing for them.
24. The ancient Romans highly valued moray eel meat for its specific taste.
25. Nowadays, zoo lovers like to keep small moray eels in their aquariums.
26. During the day, moray eels hide among all kinds of shelters from corals and stones, while possessing excellent camouflage abilities.
27. In the dark, fish go out hunting and, relying on their excellent sense of smell, track down prey.
28. Features of the body structure allow moray eels to pursue their prey.
29.If the prey turns out to be too big for the moray eel, it begins to intensively help itself with its tail. The fish makes a kind of “knot”, which, passing along the entire body, creates great pressure in the jaw muscles, reaching up to one ton. As a result, the moray eel bites off a significant piece of its prey, at least partially satisfying the feeling of hunger.
30. Moray eels reproduce by throwing eggs. In the cold season, they gather in shallow waters, where the process of fertilization of eggs takes place.
31. The larva of the moray eel fish that is born is called “leptocephalus”.
32. The hatched fish eggs are small in size (no more than ten millimeters), so the current can transport them over a long distance, thus, individuals from the same “brood” disperse to different habitats.
33. Moray eels reach sexual maturity at the age of 4 to 6 years, after which the individual becomes capable of reproducing in the future.
34. The lifespan of a moray eel fish in its natural habitat is approximately 10 years.
35.They usually live in an aquarium for no more than two years, where they are fed mainly with fish and shrimp. Adults are given food approximately once a week, young moray eels are fed three times a week, respectively.
The moray eel fish belongs to the class of ray-finned fish. All moray eels are united into a genus, which consists of 12 species. They live in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and are the original inhabitants of the Mediterranean and Red seas. These predatory fish live in coastal waters and are most often found near underwater rocks and on coral reefs. They like to relax in underwater caves and other natural shelters.
What is remarkable about these sea fish? In appearance they resemble eels. The body is long, the skin is smooth without scales and has a variety of color shades. It is mostly brown with large yellow spots containing small dark spots. In most species, a long fin extends from the head along the back. All species lack pectoral and ventral fins.
The mouth is wide and the jaws are extremely strong. They are armed with sharp teeth, with the help of which they not only capture prey, but also inflict serious and sometimes very dangerous wounds. By their nature, moray eels are aggressive and therefore pose a danger to people. Fishermen are wary of them.
The bite of this marine predator is very painful. Having bitten, the fish can tightly cling to the bite site, and it is very difficult to unhook it. The consequences of such a bite are very unpleasant, since the mucus of the moray eel fish contains substances that are toxic to humans. The inflicted wound takes a very long time to heal, hurts, festeres and, accordingly, causes discomfort. There have even been recorded cases where the bite of this fish caused death.
The situation is further aggravated by the fact that representatives of the genus have an additional pharyngeal jaw in the pharynx. It is mobile and can move forward to help the main jaw hold prey. Therefore, it is understandable why it is extremely difficult to unhook a predator clinging to the skin. A bitten person unclenches the main jaws, but the fish still does not detach, since the pharyngeal jaw prevents this.
Representatives of the species grow up to one and a half meters in length, and the weight of individual individuals can be about 40 kg. But for the most part, these fish do not exceed 1 meter in length and weigh 15 kg. However, such modest indicators do not detract from their danger to people. Even a small moray eel fish can cause serious and deep wounds that will take a very long time to heal.
During the times of Ancient Rome, these fish were considered a delicacy. They were bred in special ponds and large aquariums. Served on major holidays. Moreover, it was mainly rich people who ate them, since the poor could not afford to raise moray eels. The sea predators themselves eat small fish. It is their main diet. The abundance of this genus according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) classification is of least concern.
This huge, scary fish is very reminiscent of a snake, and not only in the outline of its elongated body. Like all eels, the moray eel swims and crawls like a true snake, noticeably bending its body.
Description of moray eel
Small eyes, a constantly open mouth, sharp curved teeth, a serpentine body without scales - this is a typical moray eel from the moray eel family, included in the genus of ray-finned fish. Moray eels are never small: representatives of the smallest species grow up to 0.6 m and weigh 8–10 kg, while giant moray eels grow almost up to 4 meters with a weight of 40 kg.
Appearance
Few people have been able to see a moray eel in full growth, since during the day it almost completely climbs into a rocky crevice, leaving only its head outside. Rare observers think that the moray eel is grinning viciously: this impression is created thanks to its prickly gaze and constantly open mouth with large pointed teeth.
In fact, the muzzle of the moray eel represents not so much hidden aggression as the innate instinct of an ambush predator - in anticipation of the victim, the moray eel practically freezes, but never closes its mouth.
Interesting. It has been suggested that the moray eel cannot close its mouth because its giant teeth prevent it. In fact, this is how the fish gets the oxygen it needs by passing water through its mouth and pumping it through its gills.
Moray eels do not have many teeth (23–28), forming one row and slightly curved back. Those species that mainly hunt crustaceans are armed with less sharp teeth, adapted for crushing shells.
Moray eels have no tongue, but nature made up for this deficiency by rewarding them with two pairs of nostrils resembling small tubes. Moray eels (like other fish) need nostrils not to breathe, but to sense smells. The moray eel's excellent sense of smell to some extent compensates for the capabilities of its weak visual apparatus.
Some compare moray eels to snakes, others to fantastic leeches: the disproportionately elongated and laterally flattened body is to blame. The resemblance to a leech arises from the thin tail, which contrasts with the thickened snout and front of the body.
Moray eels do not have pectoral fins, but the dorsal fin stretches along the entire ridge. The thick, smooth skin is devoid of scales and is painted in camouflage colors that replicate the surrounding landscape.
The most popular shades and patterns of moray eels:
- black;
- grey;
- brown;
- white;
- finely speckled pattern (polka dots, marble, stripes and asymmetrical spots).
Since the moray eel does not close its impressive mouth in ambush, the inner surface of the latter must match the coloring of the body so as not to disturb the overall camouflage.
Types of moray eels
Until now, different sources provide conflicting data on moray eel species. The most commonly cited figure is 200, while the genus Muraena consists of only 10 species. The list includes:
- muraena appendiculata;
- muraena argus;
- muraena augusti;
- muraena clepsydra;
- muraena helena (European moray eel);
- muraena lentiginosa;
- muraena melanotis;
- muraena pavonina;
- muraena retifera;
- muraena robusta.
Where did the number 200 come from? There are approximately the same number of species in the family Muraenidae (Moray eels), which is part of the eel order. This extensive family consists of two subfamilies (Muraeninae and Uropterygiinae), 15 genera and 85–206 species.
In turn, the subfamily Muraeninae includes the genus Moray, which includes 10 listed species. By and large, even the giant moray eel has an indirect relationship with the genus Muraena: it belongs to the Moray family, but is a representative of another genus - Gymnothorax. It is not for nothing that the giant moray eel is also called the Javan gymnothorax.
Character and behavior
There are many speculations surrounding snake-like fish that do not stand up to scrutiny upon close examination. The moray eel will not attack first unless it is provoked, teased or shown intrusive attention (which is often the case with inexperienced divers).
Of course, hand-feeding a moray eel is a spectacular spectacle, but at the same time extremely dangerous (as happens when handling any wild predator carelessly). A disturbed fish will not stand on ceremony and can seriously injure you. Sometimes spontaneous aggression of a moray eel is provoked not only by fear, but also by injury, physiological condition or malaise.
Even if caught on a hook or harpoon, a moray eel will defend itself until its strength runs out. At first, she will try to hide in a crevice, dragging the underwater hunter along with her, but if the maneuver does not work, already on land she will begin to wriggle, crawl towards the sea, fight and irreconcilably click her teeth.
Attention. Having bitten, the moray eel does not let go of the victim, but clings to it with a death grip (as a pit bull does) and shakes its jaw, which leads to the appearance of deep lacerations.
Rarely has anyone managed to escape from the sharp teeth of a moray eel on their own, without resorting to outside help. The bite of this predatory fish is extremely painful, and the wound heals for a very long time (even to the point of death).
By the way, it was precisely the latter circumstance that led ichthyologists to think about the presence of poison in the dental canals of moray eels, in particular, ciguatoxin. But after a series of studies, moray eels were rehabilitated, recognizing that they do not have poisonous glands.
Slow healing of lacerations is now attributed to the action of bacteria that multiply on food debris in the mouth: these microorganisms infect the wounds.
Image and life expectancy
Moray eels are recognized loners, observing the principle of territoriality. Sometimes they are closely adjacent to each other, but only because of the tight junction of convenient crevices. There they sit all day long, occasionally changing position, but leaving monstrous heads outside. Most species are active at night, but there are exceptions that catch prey during daylight hours, usually in shallow water.
In tracking the victim, their vision helps them little, but mainly their excellent sense of smell. If the nasal passages become clogged, it becomes a real disaster.
The teeth of many moray eels are located on two pairs of jaws, one of which is retractable: it sits deep in the throat and at the right moment “rolls out” to grab the victim and drag it into the esophagus. This design of the oral apparatus is due to the narrowness of the burrows: the moray eel cannot (like other underwater predators) completely open its mouth in order to immediately pull its prey inside.
Important. Moray eels have almost no natural enemies. This is facilitated by two circumstances - her sharp teeth and the force with which she clings to the enemy, as well as her constant presence in natural shelters.
A free-swimming predator is rarely attacked by larger fish, but always quickly takes refuge in the nearest rocky crevice. They say that some species escape from their pursuers by crawling like snakes across land. It is also necessary to switch to land transportation during low tides.
No one has yet measured the lifespan of moray eels, but it is believed that most species live up to 10 years or more.
Range, habitats of moray eels
Moray eels are inhabitants of the seas and oceans, preferring salty, warm waters. Stunning species diversity of these fish is noted in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. Many moray eels have chosen the water expanses of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (certain areas), as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Moray eels, like many eel-like fish, rarely dive deep, choosing rocky shallow waters and coral reefs with a depth of no more than 40 m. Moray eels spend almost their entire lives in natural shelters, such as the internal cavities of large sponges, rock crevices and coral thickets.
Diet, what does moray eel eat?
A moray eel sitting in ambush lures potential prey with its nasal tubes (similar to annelids), moving them. The fish, confident that it has noticed sea worms, swims closer and gets caught in the teeth of a moray eel, which grabs it with a lightning-fast throw.
The diet of moray eels consists of almost all digestible marine inhabitants:
- octopuses;
- lobsters;
- fish;
- cuttlefish;
- crabs;
- squid;
- sea urchins.
To catch large prey (for example, octopuses), as well as to cut it up, moray eels use a special technique, the main tool of which is the tail. Moray wraps it around a tightly fitting stone, ties itself into a knot and begins to contract its muscles, moving the knot towards the head: the pressure in the jaws increases, which allows the predator to easily tear out pieces of flesh from the victim.
Moray eels are a genus of fish from the moray eel family of the eel order. Representatives of moray eels are often found in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. They also live in the waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Moray eels are predatory fish shaped like snakes. Their appearance is quite disgusting and frightening: a huge mouth, cold small eyes. Although some species have quite bright and attractive colors. For example, here is a photo of a long-nosed moray eel that lives in coral reefs.
Moray eels can be described as follows: the body is strong, serpentine, the gill openings are small and round. In the photo below there is a green moray eel and a small circle of its gill opening is clearly visible.
Continuing the description of the appearance of moray eels, it is necessary to point out that they do not have pectoral fins. The remaining fins (dorsal, caudal and anal) are fused and form a single fin fold.
Moray eels' eyes are small and round. The mouth is large, its edges reach eye level; the teeth are awned, and in some species they are quite large.
The saber-toothed moray eel is the toothiest species of moray eel.
In total, about 120 species of moray eels have been discovered in the World Ocean. They love warm waters and are permanent inhabitants of coral reefs and underwater rocks, that is, they are lovers of types of bottom surface that are replete with various shelters.
There are two genera of moray eels living in the Red Sea: Echidna and Gymnothorax. The genus Echidna includes the snowflake moray eel and the zebra moray eel; to the genus Gymnothorax are the geometric moray eel, the star moray eel, the white-spotted moray eel and the elegant moray eel. The largest of these species is the star moray; its representatives can reach 180 cm in length.
The Mediterranean moray eel is found in the Mediterranean Sea; its length reaches up to one and a half meters.
It was the Mediterranean moray eel that was the prototype of sea monsters in the legends of antiquity.
The body color of moray eels is camouflage. Its tones and shades depend on the palette environment. The main task of the predator is to merge with the terrain so that the inattentive prey comes within attacking distance. It is worth noting that even the inner side of the mouth of moray eels can be camouflaged, well, with such a huge mouth this is not surprising.
The color of the mucus can noticeably distort the skin color of the moray eel.
Moray eels prefer to hunt at night. To do this, they do not leave their hiding places, but wait for prey. When hunting, moray eels rely on their sense of smell; their vision is poorly developed. Moray eels are nearsighted, but vision is not so important for nocturnal predators.
To catch the “smell” of prey in the water, the moray eel opens its mouth wide and swims, letting streams of water pass through it.
The following experiment was carried out with moray eels: they were thrown food, some pieces of which were coated with paraffin, which prevented the spread of odors. Moray eels did not eat such pieces of food; even if they fell into the fish’s mouth, it spat them out. But as soon as the paraffin layer was destroyed by contact with moray eels’ teeth or stones, a smell appeared, and moray eels immediately ate this food.
Moray eels almost always have an open mouth. Since moray eels do not have gill covers, for constant access new water to the gills, the moray eel constantly opens and closes its mouth.
Moray eels have two pairs of nasal openings: anterior and posterior. They are located on the upper side of the fish's snout. The front pair are ordinary holes, and the rear pair can take the form of tubes or leaves, different for different species.
The sense of smell is the moray eel’s main hunting tool; if its nose is “plugged”, it will not be able to hunt.
Moray eels have no tongue.
The powerful jaws of moray eels are “armed” with 24-28 sharp teeth. The teeth can be fang-shaped or awl-shaped, curved back. This structure of the teeth helps the moray eel to retain caught prey.
All moray eel species, with one exception, have teeth arranged in one row. An exception is the Atlantic green moray eel, this species has an additional row of teeth on the palatine bone.
Moray eels' teeth are powerful and sharp. There are species of moray eels whose diet mainly consists of crabs and other armored animals. The teeth of such species have a flattened shape, allowing them to split and grind the durable shells of their prey.
The average size of moray eels encountered by divers is about one meter.
Male moray eels are usually smaller in size than females, but not by much.
Moray eels reproduce by caviar; it is worth noting that there are viviparous fish. To reproduce in winter, moray eels gather in shallow water, females lay eggs and males fertilize them. The eggs are carried over long distances by the current.
Moray eels do not reproduce in captivity. But there was one exception - in January 2014, at the Vienna Zoo, a female ribbon moray eel laid fertilized eggs. These eggs turned out to be viable and some of them hatched.
Unfortunately, there is no information about what moray eel larvae eat and what conditions they need. Zoo Aquarium workers were unable to provide everything necessary for the survival of newborn moray eels. The little moray eels only lived for a week.
The size of the larvae barely reached a centimeter, but they resembled sea monsters with huge sharp teeth.
Being a nocturnal predator, during the day the moray eel hides in its shelter and is not active.
The moray eel's hunting method is cruel. She tries to tear her victim into pieces and does it very quickly.
Moray eels love to eat octopuses. They drive the mollusk into a corner, although the sedentary octopuses themselves try to hide from the predator in a shelter. But the trapped octopus has no chance. Moray eel is flexible like a snake and can stick its head into any crack. She systematically tears pieces of flesh from the soft mollusk until she eats the prey without a trace.
When biting off a piece from the victim's body, the moray eel often uses its muscular tail as a lever. This technique significantly increases the strength and power of her jaws.
Long-nosed moray eels - not close-up view moray eels They hunt very in an interesting way. There are projections above their upper jaw, from which they got their name.
These nasal outgrowths oscillate in the water flow and remind the fish of their food - polychaete marine worms. Such false “prey” attracts small fish, which become food for long-nosed moray eels.
Moray eel meat has a specific taste. IN Ancient Rome it was valued and rich citizens used to keep moray eels in special pools, growing them for food.
The aggressiveness of moray eels has also found its application. There was such a punishment for guilty slaves - to be thrown into the pool to be eaten by moray eels. The moray eels were not fed beforehand and were teased. When a person found himself in the pool, hungry and aggressive predators pounced on him, grabbed him with their jaws with sharp teeth and tried to tear out pieces of flesh.
But well-fed moray eels are not so aggressive. Here's a video from the Winnipeg Aquarium below. The green moray eel behaves with the diver like an affectionate kitten.
In the history of cases of moray eel attacks on people, quite a lot is known. There are completely different opinions about the danger of moray eels to people.
Someone thinks moray eel dangerous representatives underwater life and advises avoiding encounters with them. Some argue that moray eels pose a danger only when defending themselves from unexpected guests.
In any case, if a diver finds a moray eel, then you should not disturb its peace. You shouldn’t try to pet her, much less stick your hand into her hiding place. Such a “feat” can cost your health.
Back in 1948, biologist and researcher I. Brock, who soon became director of the Hawaiian Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii, conducted underwater research with scuba gear near Johnston Island in Pacific Ocean. The research was carried out at shallow depths, first a grenade was thrown into the water, then Brock sank to the bottom. During one of the dives, Brock noticed a large moray eel in the water. Thinking that she had been killed by the explosion, Brock pierced her with a spear. But the moray eel rushed at the offender and grabbed his elbow, and the length of the predator was more than two meters. The moray eels do not let go of their prey until they tear out a piece of flesh, but Brock managed to get to the surface and climb back onto the boat. The wound turned out to be severe and surgeons fought for a long time to save the hand.
The famous singer Dieter Bohlen (duet Modern Talking) also suffered from a moray eel attack. During an underwater dive in the Seychelles area, a moray eel grabbed the singer’s leg, severely damaging not only the skin, but also the muscles. After the incident, Dieter Bohlen underwent surgery and was subsequently confined to a wheelchair for a month.
In 1996, specialists caught two large moray eels for relocation on the Great Barrier Reef, popular among tourists. The cause was a moray eel attack on a diver from New Zealand, they damaged his arm so badly that he died from loss of blood. Both moray eels died during transportation.
You should not provoke moray eels. Remember in wildlife everyone eats everyone, and attempts to pet or touch a moray eel will be regarded as an attempt to attack. The fish will defend itself, and it knows how to do this.
If the moray eel is not provoked, it does not attack. Cases of unmotivated aggression on the part of moray eels are very rare; perhaps such moray eels were simply tortured by hunger.
There is no commercial fishing for moray eels. For food consumption, they are caught in single specimens.
For culinary specialists, you need to know that some organs of moray eels may contain poisons that cause severe stomach cramps. This issue needs to be studied separately before attempting to prepare dishes from moray eels.
Photo: Green moray eel at the Texas State Aquarium.
Like other predators, moray eels are an important link in biological systems, helping to maintain the balance of ecological equilibrium. The extermination of moray eels will lead to catastrophic changes in the biosystems in which they live.
In distant ancient times, legends circulated among people about huge sea monsters, capable of swallowing ships whole. This role was also attributed to moray eels. Moray eels were also trained to attack people. But all this has never stopped people from eating moray eels.
Watch a film about moray eels from National Geographic:
Moray eels are undoubtedly very graceful animals, but few people know that these fish are capable of hunting effectively with other types of fish like groupers, but they also pose a certain danger to humans, especially to careless divers.
Moray eels are eels from the moray eel family (lat. Muraenidae). There are approximately 200 species and all are almost exclusively marine animals, but a few species are regularly found in brackish water and some, like the freshwater moray eel (Gymnothorax polyuranodon), can sometimes be found in fresh water. With a maximum length of 11.5 cm (4.5 in), the smallest moray eel is most likely the Snyder's moray eel (Anarchias leucurus), while the longest species, like the slender giant moray eel (Strophidon sathete), grow up to 4 meters (13 ft) in length. The largest in terms of weight is the giant moray eel (Gymnothorax javanicus), which reaches a length of almost 3 meters (9.8 ft) and can weigh more than 36 kg (79 lb).
Moray eels are often mistaken for angry and grumpy animals. They are forced to constantly open and close their mouths to allow water to circulate through their gills, allowing them to breathe. Apparently, we perceive opening their mouths as aggressive behavior, but this is how they simply breathe! In truth, moray eels hide from people in cracks and crevices; they prefer to run away than to attack. Moray eels are shy and secretive, and will only attack people in self-defense or mistaken identity. Most attacks occur due to approaching a moray eel's lair, but attacks also occur during hand-feeding of moray eels by divers, a practice often used by diving companies to attract tourists.
Moray eels have poor eyesight and rely mainly on their keen sense of smell, which is why it is difficult for them to find the line between their fingers and the food held by their hand. Many divers have lost fingers while trying to feed moray eels. For this reason, hand feeding of moray eels is prohibited in some places, including the Great Barrier Reef (Australia). Moray eels have a special way of capturing prey, but this is a very strong mechanism due to which the eel will not let go of the prey, even if it is in danger of death and therefore has to manually unclench its jaws. While most are not considered poisonous, circumstantial evidence suggests that some species may be.
Video. Interesting things about moray eels
Eels that eat certain types of toxic algae, or more often fish that have eaten some of these algae, can lead to ciguatera (fish poisoning). During the day, moray eels rest in crevices and hunt at night, although they may chase small fish and crustaceans that swim nearby during the day.
Moray eels are found in tropical and temperate seas, although a wide variety can be found on reefs in warm oceans. Very few species are found outside the tropics and subtropics, and those that briefly extend beyond these regions. They live at depths of up to several hundred meters, where they spend most of their time hiding inside crevices and burrows. While several species are regularly found in brackish water, very few species can be found in fresh water, such as the freshwater moray eel (Gymnothorax polyuranodon) and the pink-lipped moray eel (Echidna rhodochilus).
Despite its snake-like appearance, the moray eel is a fish and not a reptile or amphibian. Adult moray eels lack pectoral and ventral fins, but have long fins that extend from the back of the head to the tail and along the entire abdomen. Although it may appear to have one fin, there are actually three: an elongated dorsal fin, a caudal fin, and an anal fin. Moray eels move like swimming snakes, thanks to their wave-like movements they are able to cut through the water very quickly.
Photo. Second jaws of a moray eel
Moray eels are piscivores, meaning that they eat other fish (even small moray eels). Like some other fish-eating fish, moray eels have two jaws. They have regular jaws in their mouth, called oral jaws, and second jaws in the throat, called pharyngeal jaws. Unlike other fish with jaws, the second jaws of moray eels are very mobile. After the moray eel bites into food, the second jaw moves forward to grab the food inside the mouth and drag it down the throat to swallow it completely.
Thus, the caught fish has virtually no chance of salvation. Interestingly, while the existence of second jaws was fairly well known for a long time, the mechanism of ingestion of food by moray eels was only fully revealed only in 2007.
Divers who closely observed the moray eel might not notice that it has smooth skin. Moray eel skin cells secrete a protective mucous coating that protects them from infection and contact. Never touch a moray eel as this can damage its delicate defenses.
The covering of moray eels also serves other purposes. When buried in sand, they restore their protection by adhering grains of sand. In some species, the coating also affects their color. Green moray eels look brown without their mucus, but yellow their mucous membrane when combined with skin color and results in a brilliant shade of green.
Moray eels can hunt alone or in groups. When moray eels hunt in groups, they do not team up with other moray eels, but do so with fish of other species. This type of hunting is known as "nuclear hunting" and is observed in several other fish species, such as flute fish and sea bass (Plectropomus pessuliferus). In Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach's book, Reef Fish Behavior, the nuclear hunting behavior of moray eels is described in detail:
Photo. Joint hunting of moray eels and sea bass
Video. Grouper and moray eel hunting together
“The moray eel almost always waits for the grouper to position itself next to its body before making a lunge. In any case, the fish contacts the moray eel by shaking its head in front of its head. The two animals appear to be cooperating during their next joint coral hunt, with the grouper able to block their escape route while the moray eel invades behind the dark curtain." One way or another, one of the animals gets food.
Photo. Shrimp cleaning the mouth of a moray eel
Known attacks of moray eels on humans
Moray eel bit off diver's thumb
This happened in 2005 on the Similan Islands in Thailand. Matt Butcher, a dive instructor, worked aboard the Liveaboard MV Queen Scuba Similans as an underwater videographer. He had already made five or six dives among moray eels. A year or two ago, he first saw how these fish were fed. Matt regularly fed moray eels while diving. He wanted to get high-quality images of moray eels during his dive. Clients loved him when they watched the videos in the evenings, especially when the moray eel took food directly from Matt's hands. Matt usually took the sausages, mainly because they were left over from breakfast and wouldn't disintegrate under the water. Unfortunately, to Matt the sausages looked like fingers.
The next day, Matt sailed with his girlfriend Bex, who worked on the boat as a dive instructor. It was like any other day, but the anxiety level was high as they knew they were going to see the giant moray eel again. The first part of the dive was not interesting, and Matt and Bex hurried to the coral. Visibility was about twenty meters, Matt and Bex saw a moray eel swimming. It is normal for moray eels to emerge from crevices and investigate any divers that come close to their coral lair. Matt fed the moray eel several times, it returned to the coral and hid in it, leaving only its head sticking out. In order to persuade her to swim out again, Matt decided to feed her from his food bag. He gave the camera to Bex and signaled for her to film him feeding the moray eel. This was the first time Bex had ever held a camera underwater. Matt got confused several times when removing food from a plastic bag because the movement of the water made it difficult for him to find the hole to remove the sausage from it. Moray noticed a bag of food appear and swam very close to Matt, concentrating on finding the open end of the bag. Moray eel smelled food and was impatient.
Photo. Lurking moray eel
Photo. Moray eel takes a closer look
Initially, Matt simply felt some pressure on his left thumb and tried to pull his hand away. That’s when the moray eel stopped all the man’s efforts and grabbed onto his thumb better. All this happened very quickly. Matt knew he had to pull his thumb out of her mouth, but he wasn't prepared for what happened next. He looked at the moray eel attached to his arm as the blood began to create a blood cloud around him. He put two fingers of his right hand into her mouth and tried to open her jaw so he could reach his thumb. She bit again and more blood came out into the ocean. Moray was not going to let go.
The moray sailed away and everything seemed calm... Matt looked down at his hand to see torn flesh and the bone of his thumb. The thumb has disappeared. Matt looked back towards the moray eel to see it swallow his thumb and return to its coral. Bex was wide-eyed and motionless. She couldn't believe what just happened. She was simply filming one of her best friends whose thumb was bitten off by a giant moray eel in front of her eyes.
Matt didn't panic and made a slow and controlled climb to the surface. At that moment, Claude from the Queen Scuba yacht was sailing past him with a group of divers. Matt showed Claude his hand and indicated that he had a problem. Claude smiled and continued his dive, thinking Matt was joking. As Matt rose to the surface, the water began to turn red. There was a lot of blood. But on the surface, blood sprayed 50 cm into the air. It looked like a fountain, as the tiny arteries were completely torn and open. Matt screamed loudly for the boat to take him away. The boat driver was horrified when he saw the extent of Matt's injury and the blood in the water. A compress was applied on the boat and the bleeding was largely stopped. After a quick stop on one of the islands, Matt and Bex were taken to the mainland by motorboat. A taxi was waiting at the pier to take them to a Bangkok hospital, and after a couple of hours of driving, Matt's arm was quickly operated on to close the wound.
Matt spent a week in hospital and racked up a fantastic bill. In addition, they paid for the evacuation from the Similan Islands. The total bill was about half a million baht (about $14,000).
Video. Moray eel bit off diver's finger
He was asked to have one of his toes amputated and transplanted onto his hand to replace the missing finger. All the nerves, tendons and blood vessels had to be connected and it would essentially be like a new thumb. It took five months. The operation was expensive.
Matt turned to the Divers Alert Network (DAN Europe) for insurance. A few days later they gave the go-ahead for the operation. They agreed to cover all expenses, which cost about six hundred thousand baht ($16.5 thousand).
A month after the operation, the graft took root and Matt returned to diving. It is worth noting that Matt no longer hates moray eels or any other marine flora and fauna. He still dives in the same place sometimes and always keeps an eye on his old friend. He knows it was his stupid mistake and that he shouldn't have fed her. It was a painful way to learn a lesson...
Irish diver attacked by conger eel
year 2013. Jimmy Griffin, 48, a scuba diver from Galway, said of the attack in Killary: “All of a sudden I got hit in the face really hard. I felt like rag doll. He grabbed my face and started shaking it violently. He bit, pulled and circled around my face. I got a terrible feeling of numbness on the right side of my face. My regulator fell out and my vision started to get really blurry due to the blood in the water. The blood looked like octopus ink, very dark."
Photo. Sea eel
Photo. Conger eel bite wound
Photo. Stitches on a man's face after being bitten by a conger eel
Galway bakery owner Jimmy had completed more than 200 dives and knew he had to remain calm in this situation. “I shouldn’t have panicked 25 meters underwater. My regulator (breathing apparatus) was knocked out of my mouth, so panic could lead to me drowning. When he finally let go, I saw that it was a conger eel larger than myself, over six feet long,” Jimmy recalled.
The good news for Griffin was that the plastic surgeons did a fantastic job. "I don't even know how many stitches I had inside and outside my mouth, but they say the scar will eventually be invisible," he said. He needed 20 stitches on his face.
A surfer was attacked by a moray eel in Hawaii.
On October 17, 2015, a 33-year-old local man was surfing at Waikiki Beach when he felt pain in his left leg. He reached the shore, where passers-by used a towel to stop the bleeding, and medical personnel arrived. Although a spokesman for the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources said he had never heard of a moray eel attack in the state, officials found no evidence of a shark attack and believe the man's injuries were consistent with a moray eel bite, not a shark bite.
Although moray eels frequently visit coral reefs in Hawaii, officials have not reached a concrete conclusion. At the same time, experts do not exclude other options, noting that barracudas were also recently spotted near Waikiki. Hours before the attack, another person was injured, although officials suspect a tiger shark may have been the culprit in this case. Witnesses reported that the 44-year-old man was swimming with a friend 50-100 meters from the shore when he was bitten. “Both legs just above the ankle were just hanging,” said one passerby. The man was taken to hospital in critical condition.
2010 documentary film “Moray Eels. Alien Empire"
Moray eel attacked scuba diver when he interfered with mating ritual
Underwater Polish photographer Bartosz Lukasik was attacked by a large moray eel while diving on a coral reef in South Africa in February 2018. He filmed the moment he was chased by a ravaged fish into Sodwana Bay.
He was filming two eels when one of them suddenly turned and chased him for almost 15 meters. He believes that he was attacked by a moray eel because his appearance interrupted the courtship and mating ritual, which undoubtedly angered one of the moray eels.
“Fortunately no one was hurt in this situation. I quickly swam away, the eel chased me for about 10-15 meters, but in the end everyone was ok. I, of course, did not expect such a situation and did not want to provoke him. I take great care not to interfere with sea life“When I’m filming, I always try to keep enough distance so that both I and the subject feel comfortable,” Lukasik commented.
Video. Moray eel attacks diver
However, he was suspected of trying to promote another older recording from 2015; these recordings are completely identical. However, the video shows the very moment of the attack on the operator.
