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35 interesting facts about moray fish. Moray eels: toothy, predatory and poisonous Are moray eels dangerous?

I don’t think that anyone was fascinated by admiring the appearance of moray eels - despite the often beautiful color of her body, the appearance of this fish is repulsive. The predatory look of small prickly eyes, an unpleasant mouth with needle-like teeth, a snake-like body and the unfriendly character of moray eels do not at all conducive to friendly communication.
Let's try to get to know this, in its own way interesting and unique fish. Perhaps our attitude towards her, at least a little, will warm up.
Moray eels (Muraena) belong to the genus of fish from the eel family (Muraenidae). About 200 species of moray eels live in the seas of the World Ocean. Most of them prefer warm tropical waters and subtropical zones. A frequent visitor to coral reefs and underwater rocks.
Quite often they are found in the Red Sea, they also live in the Mediterranean. The Red Sea is home to snowflake moray, zebra moray, geometric moray, star moray, white-spotted moray, and elegant moray. The largest of them is the star moray eel, its average length reaches 180 cm.

The Mediterranean moray eel living in the Mediterranean Sea reaches 1.5 meters in length. It was her image that was the prototype for numerous legends and myths about these predatory fish ah with a rather unusual appearance. For permanent residence, they choose crevices in the rocks, shelters in underwater stone rubble, in general, places where you can safely hide a large and completely unprotected body. It lives mainly in the bottom layer of the seas.

The body color is camouflage, consistent with the surrounding landscape. More often, moray eels are painted in dark brown or grayish tones with spots that form a semblance of a marble pattern on the body. There are also uniformly colored, and even white individuals. Since the mouth of moray eels is of considerable size, its inner surface is painted to match the color of the body, so as not to unmask the moray eel when it opens its mouth wide. And the mouth of moray eels, almost always, is open. By pumping water through the open mouth into the gill openings, the moray eel increases the access of oxygen to the body.

The head bears small, round eyes that make the moray eels even more vicious. Behind the eyes are small gill openings, which usually have a dark spot. The anterior and posterior nasal openings of moray eels are located on the upper side of the snout - the first pair is represented by simple openings, while the second in some species has the shape of tubules, while in others it has leaflets. If the moray eels "plug" the nasal openings, she will not be able to find her prey. Interesting feature moray eels - lack of language. Their powerful jaws are seated with 23-28 sharp canine-shaped or awl-shaped teeth, bent back, which helps the moray eels to hold the caught prey. Almost all moray eels have teeth in one row, with the exception of the Atlantic green moray eel, in which an additional row of teeth is located on the palatine bone.

The teeth of moray eels are long and extremely sharp. In some species of moray eels, the diet of which is dominated by armored animals - crustaceans, crabs, teeth have a flattened shape. With such teeth, it is easier to split and grind the strong protection of the prey. Moray eels do not contain poison on their teeth. The jaws of all moray eels are very powerful, large sizes. Moray eels have no pectoral fins, and the rest - the dorsal, anal and caudal fins have grown together into one train framing the back of the body.

Moray eels can reach considerable sizes. By different sources, their length can be 2.5 and even more than 3 meters (the world's largest giant moray eel Thyrsoidea macrura). One and a half meter individuals weigh an average of 8-10 kg. Interestingly, males are smaller and "slenderer" than females. Here's a stronger sex for you!, with a weight of up to 40 kg. Among moray eels there are also small species, the length of which does not exceed ten centimeters. The average size of moray eels, most commonly seen by divers, is approximately one meter. As a rule, males are slightly smaller than females.

Moray eels breed with caviar. IN winter months they gather in shallow water, where the eggs laid by the females are fertilized by the sex products of the males. Eggs and moray eel larvae hatched from them move in the water by sea currents and are carried over a large area of ​​the seas. Moray eels are predators, their diet consists of various bottom animals - crabs, crustaceans, cephalopods, especially octopuses, medium-sized sea ​​fish and even sea ​​urchins. They forage mainly at night. Lurking in ambush, moray eels lie in wait for gaping prey, jumping out of it with an arrow if a potential victim appears within reach, and grab it with their sharp teeth. During the day, moray eels sit in their dwelling - crevices of rocks and corals, among large stones and other natural hiding places and rarely hunt. The sight when the moray eel cracks down on its victim is rather unpleasant. She instantly tears her prey into small pieces with her long teeth, and in a matter of moments only memories remain from the victim.

Moray eels can hunt not only from ambush. The favorite delicacy of most moray eels is the octopus. In pursuit of this sedentary animal, the moray eel drives it into a "corner" - some kind of shelter or crevice and, sticking its head to its soft body, tears off piece by piece from it, starting with the tentacles, until it is torn into small pieces and eaten without a trace. Moray eels can swallow small prey whole, like snakes. When biting off a piece of the body from a large prey, the moray eel is often helped by its own tail, with which it, like a lever, increases the power of its jaws. A peculiar method of hunting is used by nosed moray eels. These relatively small representatives Moray eels are named so for outgrowths above their upper jaw. These nasal outgrowths, oscillating in the current of water, resemble sessile sea ​​worms- polychaetes. The type of "prey" attracts small fish, which very quickly turn out to be the prey of a hidden predator.

In search of food, moray eels, like most nocturnal predators, rely on the sense of smell. Their eyesight is poorly developed, and even at night it is a poor helper in search of food. The moray eel victim can be felt at a considerable distance. The notoriety of fish dangerous to humans has been attached to moray eels since ancient times. IN Ancient Rome noble citizens often kept moray eels in pools, growing them for food - the meat of these fish was extremely valued because of its specific taste. Quickly appreciating the ability of moray eels to be aggressive, the noble Romans used them as a tool to punish delinquent slaves, and sometimes they threw people into a cage with moray eels solely for the sake of entertainment. Indeed - oh, times! .. Oh, morals! .. Muren, before arranging such tortures or spectacles, they kept starving. When a person was in the pool, they pounced on him and, hanging on the victim, like bulldogs, shook their jaws, tearing out pieces of flesh.

About the danger of moray eels for people in natural environment habitats, there are different opinions. Some researchers consider it a fairly peaceful animal, using its teeth solely for the sake of protection from too annoying divers, others consider the moray eel an extremely dangerous sea creature. One way or another, there are many known cases of attacks and bites of people by moray eels. Here are some of them. In 1948, biologist I. Brock, who later became director of the Hawaiian Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii, was scuba diving near Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean at shallow depths. Before Brock was immersed in the water, a grenade was thrown - this was part of the research program that the biologist was engaged in. Noticing a large moray eel in the water and thinking that she was killed by a grenade, Brock faked her with a spear. However, the moray eel, whose length was 2.4 meters, was far from dead: she rushed straight at the offender and grabbed his elbow. Moray eel, attacking a person, inflicts a wound that looks like a barracuda bite mark. But unlike the barracuda, the moray eel does not immediately swim away, but hangs on its prey, like a bulldog. Brock managed to rise to the surface and reach a boat waiting nearby. However, the surgeons had to deal with this wound for a long time, as it turned out to be very serious. The victim nearly lost his arm.

The well-known pop singer Dieter Bohlen (Modern Talking duet) also suffered from moray eels. While diving in the area Seychelles the moray eel clung to his leg, tearing the skin and muscles of the singer. D. Bolen underwent surgery after this incident, and spent a whole month in a wheelchair. Once, specialists even had to relocate a pair of moray eels from a popular reef among tourists (Old cod hole, Great Barrier Reef, 1996). While feeding, the fish tore the hand of a diver from New Zealand so badly that it was not possible to save him. Unfortunately, the moray eels died during transportation.

I think that the examples given will help novice divers to assess the danger of meeting with moray eels and take measures to prevent such cases. These measures are simple - you should not provoke the moray eels to aggressive actions. Very rarely (usually starved) moray eels attack people for no reason. When you see a moray eel, you should not irritate this fish - approach its dwelling, try to stroke it, and even more so - put your hands into its shelter. Spearfishers should not shoot holes and crevices just to check if there is a moray eel there. If she really lives there, she will certainly attack you. If you don't provoke her, she won't touch you.

Directed fishing for moray eels is not conducted. They are caught in single specimens for consumption. It should be noted that the meat and some organs of moray eels in different time years may contain toxic substances that cause severe stomach cramps and nerve damage. Therefore, you should study this issue in more detail before trying the taste of moray eel meat.

Sometimes moray eels are kept in large aquariums. The behavior of these predators in a closed volume may not be the same. Often, moray eels show extreme aggressiveness towards their aquarium neighbors, sometimes they are completely indifferent to roommates. In captivity, moray eels can live for more than ten years. Moray eels, like all predatory fish, are an important link in the ecological balance of the seas where they live. Therefore, their extermination negatively affects the health of the fauna of these regions.

In ancient times, therefore, moray eels were considered terrible monsters. Then they believed in huge sea monsters that could swallow a whole ship. And this ability was attributed, in particular, to moray eels. Later in history, there were cases when they were trained to attack a person. But all this never prevented people from hunting moray eels. It is eaten and considered a delicacy, although its meat can be very poisonous. The ancient Romans kept moray eels in special pens to prepare them for feasts. They were a terrible execution for slaves. It's such a strange food chain. Moray eel ceviche is still popular in the Caribbean - a dish that is prepared in a very exotic way and rather brutal.

Moray eel is a fish that is not attractive. You will not want to get involved with her, even without knowing the dangers of too close contact. But we will still try to get closer to her and get to know this mysterious and very interesting creature surrounded by dark glory.

What does a moray eel look like

The fish, the photo of which you can see in this article, has bare, intricately patterned skin, devoid of scales and covered with a thick protective layer of mucus, small eyes and a huge mouth armed with elongated and very sharp teeth - this is a short moray eel. To this we can add an elongated laterally flattened body, devoid of chest and pelvic fins making it look like a snake.

It used to be thought that moray eels were venomous in the same way as those of a snake, but researchers have found that this is not true. But the mucus that covers the body of this one saves it not only from microbes and mechanical damage, but is also poisonous. From contact with it, traces may appear on human skin, as from a burn.

Moray eel is a fish that has a very different color - it all depends on the habitat of this predator. Its camouflage coloration helps the fish blend into the landscape. She even has the inner side of her gums covered with the same pattern as her skin, because moray eels almost always keep their mouths open (too long teeth prevent it from closing).

The moray eel smells its victims at a great distance, but its eyesight, like that of a nocturnal animal, is almost not developed.

swallow even big piece, torn off by this fish, it is helped by an additional jaw, called the pharyngeal. It is located in the throat of the moray eel and moves forward as soon as the victim is dangerously close to the mouth of the predator.

Moray eels can live both at great depths (up to 60 m) and in the tidal zone. And some of them, for example, those belonging to the genus Gymnothorax, are able to get out of the water, which lingers in the crevices at low tide, and crawl for many meters on dry land in search of an outlet to the sea or to escape the chase.

Moray eel sizes

The sizes of these fish can fluctuate with a large amplitude. So, for example, a giant moray eel (in another way it is called the Javanese lycodont) reaches a length of up to 3.75 meters, and it weighs up to 45 kg. There are also very small specimens that do not grow more than 10 cm. However, their mouths are also equipped with sharp teeth.

Males of all moray eels are noticeably smaller than females.

There are up to 200 species of these predators in the world. And most of them live in the warm waters of tropical and subtropical seas.

In the Red Sea, you can find the genus Echidna moray eels, which include zebra moray eels and snow moray eels, as well as Gymnothorax - geometric, starry and white-spotted fish. The largest among them reaches 3 m in length.

Inhabitant of the same name mediterranean sea grows up to one and a half meters. It was this monster that served as the basis for the appearance of terrible legends that have come from antiquity.

Way of existence

Moray eel - a leading fish nightlife. During the day, the predator sits quietly in the crevices of rocks or in the thickets of corals, and after dark comes out to hunt. Her prey are small fish, crabs, octopuses and

Among moray eels there are species that specialize mainly in such beauties can be recognized by the shape of their teeth. They are excellent for cracking shells.

By the way, watching moray eels hunting is not very pleasant. She tears the victim into small pieces with her teeth, and in just a minute nothing remains of her.

And the moray eel drives the octopus into some crevice and, sticking its head in the same place, tears off its tentacle after tentacle until it is all eaten.

About cooperation with moray eels

Moray eel - a fish, about which there are many dark legends as an insatiable dangerous creature who knows no pity. But there are other eyewitness accounts that give us her image from the other side.

So, for example, moray eels can cooperate in hunting with sea bass. He, inviting her for prey, swims up to the hole and shakes his head. If the moray eel is hungry, she goes after the perch. He leads the fish to the hidden “lunch” and waits for the predator to dive into the hole and catch him, in order to then share with his hunting companion.

And wrasse fish are completely resignedly allowed to the body of a gloomy predator, as they are well-known and respected doctors. These nimble bright fish, working in pairs, cleanse the body of moray eels, starting with the eyes, moving to the gills and fearlessly swimming into their mouths. And, interestingly, moray eels at the reception of these doctors do not touch not only them, but also other fish that have come to the wrasses for help and are waiting for their turn.

What is unusual about the saber-toothed moray eel

Separately, perhaps, it is worth mentioning the moray eels living in the eastern part Atlantic Ocean. For the black stripes that adorn the yellow body, they are also called tiger moray eels. The jaws of these predators are decorated with two rows of teeth. different size. By the way, this is another special sign of these fish.

The fact is that the saber-toothed moray eel is armed with transparent, glass-looking teeth, which, however, can easily crush the shell of a crab or cancer. This shining weapon is kept clean by cleaner shrimp who live safely in the jaws of the fearsome creature.

Does a moray eel attack a person?

This gloomy and unfriendly-looking creature, of course, is not safe for people. But a moray eel bite will follow only if the person himself becomes a source of danger for her. That is, if a diver tries to stick his arm or leg into the hole where this fish is hiding, then let him not be surprised at the reaction of a frightened animal. Moreover, you should not pursue the moray eel floating away from you.

It is also dangerous to shoot from a harpoon into a crevice, fearing that there may be a predator. After all, if she really ends up there, then, getting angry, she will definitely try to attack you.

Remember that this fish does not just attack a creature that is larger than it, so leave it alone - and it will not touch you. Moreover, if you are careful and prudent, then the moray eel (the fish, the photo of which you had the opportunity to see here) can become your friend. Famous ocean explorers and divers have repeatedly written about this.

2. In fact, these creatures are rather shy and attack a person only if they are teased or disturbed.

3. Moray fish is a predator that has many features similar to snakes. For example, a powerful serpentine body allows them not only to conveniently move in body of water, but also hide in narrow burrows and crevices of rocks, which is why moray eels are often called snake fish.

4. Overall appearance of these individuals is so peculiar that it is difficult to find another fish similar to moray eels.

5. The appearance of moray eels is quite frightening and impartial: 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 does not have scales, and its color may vary depending on the habitat.

7. Most of the individuals have a variegated color with the presence of blue and yellow-brown shades, however, 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 of the body of the fish is thicker than the back. Female moray eels usually have more weight and size than males.

Giant Moray Javanese 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, moray eels Gymnothorax javanicus. This giant moray eel is also called Javanese hymnothorax or Javanese lycodont.

12. The camouflage color of giant moray eels is somewhat reminiscent of a leopard color. Head, top part bodies and fins are colored yellow-brown and richly strewn with dark spots of various sizes. The abdominal part remains without a pattern.

13. This moray eel is considered to be gigantic. For clarity, you can imagine a huge snake as thick as the thigh of an adult and 2.5 - 3 meters long.

15. Like all representatives of fish from the moray 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. Moray eel Gymnothorax javanicus lives in tropical and temperate waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Red Sea, the coast of the islands South-East Asia, New Caledonia and Australia.

Moray yellowmouth

17. Some species, such as the yellow-mouthed moray eel, are able to descend to a depth of one hundred and fifty meters or even lower.

18. Huge and sharp teeth. Almost all moray eels, they have not one, but two pairs of jaws in their mouths. The first - the main one, with large teeth, is located where it should be, and the second - pharyngeal - in the pharynx

19. During the hunt, the hind jaw is located deep in the throat, but as soon as the prey is close to the mouth of the moray eel, 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 prey will be able to escape from this double "trap".

20. Moray eels do not settle in flocks, preferring a solitary lifestyle.

21. The basis of the diet of moray eels is various fish, cuttlefish, sea urchins, octopuses and crabs.

22. Most individuals of moray eels choose a depth of up to forty meters for living, most while spending time in shallow water.

23. Moray eels are rarely eaten, so they are not targeted for fishing.

24. The ancient Romans highly valued moray eel meat for its specific taste.

25. Currently, animal lovers like to keep small moray eels in their aquariums.

26. During the day, moray eels hide among all sorts of shelters made of coral and stones, while possessing excellent camouflage abilities.

27. At night, fish go hunting, and, focusing on their excellent sense of smell, track down prey.

28. Features of the body structure allow moray eels to pursue their prey.

29. In the event that the prey is too large 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 a lot of pressure in the area of ​​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 spawning. In the cold season, they gather in shallow waters, where the process of fertilization of eggs takes place directly.

31. The larva of moray eel fish, which is born, is called "leptocephalus".

32. A fish egg that has been born has a small size (no more than ten millimeters), so the current can carry them to long distance, thus, individuals from one "brood" are dispersed in different habitats.

33. Moray eels reach puberty at the age of 4 to 6 years, after which the individual becomes able to reproduce in the future.

34. Life expectancy of moray fish in conditions natural habitat is approximately 10 years.

35. In an aquarium, they usually live no more than two years, where they are fed mainly with fish and shrimps. Adults are given food about once a week, young moray eels are fed respectively three times a week.

Sea fish moray eel belongs to the eel family and is widely known for its unusual appearance and aggressive behavior. Even the Ancient Romans bred these fish in bays and blocked ponds.

For the reason that their meat was considered an unsurpassed delicacy, and the emperor Nero, famous for his cruelty, loved to entertain friends by throwing slaves into a pond to feed the moray eels. In fact, these creatures are rather shy and attack a person only if they are teased or hurt.

Features and habitat of the moray eel

Moray fish is a predator that has many features similar to snakes. For example, a powerful serpentine body allows them not only to move comfortably in the water, but also to hide in narrow burrows and rock crevices. Their appearance is rather frightening and impartial: a huge mouth and small eyes, the body is slightly flattened on the sides.

If you look at moray fish photo, then it can be observed that they have no pectoral fins, while the caudal and dorsal fins form one continuous fin fold.

The teeth are sharp and rather long, so the mouth of the fish almost never closes. The sight of the fish is very poorly developed, and it calculates its victims by smell, which allows you to determine the presence of prey at an impressive distance.

Fish - moray snake does not have scales, and its color may vary depending on the habitat. Most individuals have a variegated color with the presence of blue and yellow-brown hues, however, there are also completely white fish.

Enough to see moray fish video in order to get an idea of ​​its impressive dimensions: the length of the moray eel ranges from 65 to 380 centimeters, depending on the species, and the weight of individual representatives can significantly exceed the mark of 40 kilograms.

The front of the body of the fish is thicker than the back. Female moray eels usually have more weight and dimensions than males.

To date, there are more than a hundred varieties of moray eels. They are found virtually everywhere in the basins of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in temperate and tropical latitudes.

They live mainly on great depths up to fifty meters. Some species, such as the yellow-mouthed moray eel, are able to descend to a depth of one hundred and fifty meters or even lower.

In general, the appearance of these individuals is so peculiar that it is difficult to find another moray eel-like fish. There is a widespread opinion that moray eels - poisonous fish which is actually not so far from the truth.

The moray eel bite is very painful, in addition to this, the fish clings tightly to one or another part of the body with its teeth, and it is extremely problematic to unhook it. The consequences of a bite are very unpleasant, since moray eel mucus contains substances that are toxic to humans.

That is why the wound heals for a very long time and causes constant discomfort, there are even cases when a moray eel bite caused a fatal outcome.

The nature and lifestyle of moray fish

Fish lead predominantly night image life. During the day, she usually hides among coral reefs, in crevices. rocks or between stones, and with the onset of night invariably moves forward to hunt.

Most individuals choose to live at a depth of up to forty meters, while spending most of their time in shallow water. talking about moray fish description, it should be noted that these fish do not settle in flocks, preferring a solitary lifestyle.



Moray eels today pose a rather great danger to divers and spearfishing enthusiasts. Usually, these fish, although they are predators, do not attack large objects, however, if a person accidentally or intentionally disturbed the moray eel, it will fight with incredible aggression and fury.

The grip of the fish is very strong, since it has an additional pair of jaws for thoroughly grinding food, which is why many compare it to the iron grip of a bulldog.

Moray Eating

The basis of the diet of moray eels is various fish, cuttlefish, sea urchins, octopuses and crabs. During the day, moray eels hide among all sorts of shelters made of coral and stones, while possessing excellent camouflage abilities.

At night, fish go hunting, and focusing on their excellent sense of smell, they track down prey. Features of the body structure allow moray eels to pursue their prey.

In the event that the prey is too large 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 a lot of pressure in the area of ​​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.

Reproduction and life expectancy of moray eels

Moray eels reproduce by spawning. In the cold season, they gather in shallow waters, where the process of fertilization of eggs takes place directly.

The fish egg that was born is small (no more than ten millimeters), so the current can carry them over a long distance, so individuals from one “brood” disperse to different habitats.



The larva of moray eel fish, which is born, is called "leptocephalus". Moray eels reach puberty at the age of four to six years, after which the individual becomes able to breed in the future.

The life expectancy of moray eel fish in natural habitat is approximately ten years. In the aquarium, they usually live no more than two years, where they are fed mainly with fish and shrimp. Adults are given food about once a week, young moray eels are fed respectively three times a week.

Moray eels are undoubtedly very graceful animals, but few people know that these fish are able to effectively hunt with other types of fish like sea bass, but they also pose a certain danger to humans, especially to unwary divers.

Moray eels are eels from the moray family (lat. Muraenidae). There are approximately 200 species and all of them are almost exclusively marine animals, but several species are regularly found in brackish water and some, like the freshwater moray eel (lat. 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 moray eel (lat. Anarchias leucurus), while the longest species, like the slender giant moray eel (lat. Strophidon sathete), grow up to 4 meters (13 feet) long. The largest in terms of weight is the giant moray eel (lat. Gymnothorax javanicus), which reaches almost 3 meters (9.8 ft) in length and can weigh over 36 kg (79 lb).

Moray eels are often mistaken for vicious and grumpy animals. They have to constantly open and close their mouths to keep water circulating through their gills, allowing them to breathe. Apparently, we perceive the opening of the mouth as aggressive behavior, but this is how they just breathe! In truth, moray eels hide from people in cracks and crevices, they prefer to run away than attack. Moray eels are shy and secretive, and only attack humans in self-defense or misidentification. Most attacks occur from approaching the moray eel's lair, but also attacks occur while hand-feeding 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 boundary between their fingers and food held by the hand. Many divers have lost their 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 threatened with death and therefore it is necessary to open its jaws manually. While most are not considered poisonous, circumstantial evidence suggests that some species may be.

Video. Interesting about moray eels

Eels that eat certain types of toxic algae, or more commonly fish that have eaten some of these algae, can lead to sigwater (fish poisoning). IN daytime moray eels rest in crevices and hunt at night, although they may chase small fish and crustaceans that swim nearby during the daytime.

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 venture outside these regions. They live at depths up to several hundred meters, where they spend most of their time hiding inside crevices and burrows. While a few species are regularly found in brackish water, very few species can be found in fresh water, such as freshwater moray(lat. Gymnothorax polyuranodon) and pink-lipped moray (lat. Echidna rhodochilus).

Despite the serpentine appearance, the moray eel is a fish, not a reptile or amphibian. Adult moray eels lack pectoral and pelvic fins, but have long fins that extend from the back of the head to the tail and along the entire belly. Although it may seem that this is one fin, there are actually three of them: an elongated dorsal, caudal and anal fin. Moray eels move like swimming snakes, thanks to their undulating movements, they are able to cut through the water very quickly.

Photo. The second jaws of moray eels

Moray eels are piscivorous, which means 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 mouths, called oral jaws, and a second jaw in their throat, called pharyngeal jaws. Unlike other fish with jaws, the second jaws of moray eels are very mobile. After the moray eel bites the 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 practically no chance of salvation. Interestingly, while the existence of second jaws has been known for quite some time, the mechanism of swallowing food by moray eels was only fully elucidated only in 2007.

Divers who closely observed the moray eel may not have noticed that it has smooth skin. The skin cells of the moray eel secrete a protective mucous coating that protects them from infection and contact. Never touch the moray eel, as this can harm its delicate protection.

The covering of moray eels also serves other purposes. When buried in sand, they restore their defenses by sticking grains of sand. In some species, the coating also affects their color. Green moray eels look brown without their mucus, but the yellow color of their mucosa, when combined with skin color, results in a brilliant shade of green.

Moray eels can hunt alone or in groups. When moray eels hunt in groups, they do not associate with other moray eels, but do so with fish of other species. This type of hunting is known as "nuclear hunting" and is seen in some other fish species such as flutefish and groupers (lat. Plectropomus pessuliferus). The book Reef Fish Behavior by Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach details the nuclear hunting behavior of moray eels:

Photo. Joint hunting of moray eels and sea bass

Video. Grouper and moray hunt together

“The moray almost always waits for the sea bass to position itself next to its body before making a dash. In either case, the fish makes contact with the moray eel by shaking its head in front of its head. It looks like the two animals are cooperating on their next coral hunt together. sea ​​bass can close the escape route while the moray eel intrudes behind the dark curtain." One way or another, one of the animals gets food.

Photo. Shrimps clean the mouth of the moray eel

Known attacks of moray eels on people

Moray bitten off a diver thumb
This happened in 2005 in the Similan Islands in Thailand. Matt Boucher, dive instructor worked aboard the Liveaboard MV Queen Scuba Similans as an underwater videographer. He had already made five or six dives among the moray eels. A year or two ago, he first saw how these fish are fed. Matt regularly fed moray eels when he dived. He wanted to get high-quality pictures of moray eels during his dive. Clients loved it when they watched the videos in the evenings, especially when the moray eels took their food straight from Matt's hands. Matt tended to take the sausages, mostly because they were left over after breakfast and didn't disintegrate underwater. Unfortunately, to Matt, the sausages looked like fingers.

The next day, Matt went swimming with his girlfriend Becks, who worked as a dive instructor on the boat. It was like any other day, but the level of anxiety was high as they knew they were going to see the giant moray again. The first part of the dive was not interesting, and Matt and Becks hurried to the coral. Visibility was about twenty meters, Matt and Becks saw a floating moray eel. It is normal for moray eels to emerge from crevices and explore any divers that come close to her coral lair. Matt fed the moray several times, she returned to the coral and hid in it, only the protruding head remained. In order to persuade her to swim again, Matt decided to feed her from his bag where there was food. He gave the camera to Becks and signaled to 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 getting food from plastic bag, because the movements of the water made it difficult for him to find a hole to pull out the sausage. Murena noticed that a bag of food had appeared and swam very close to Matt, concentrating on finding the open end of the bag. Moray smelled food and was impatient.

Photo. lurking moray eel


Photo. Moray eyeing

Initially, Matt simply felt some pressure on his left thumb and tried to pull his hand out. That's when the moray eel stopped all the efforts of the man and better grabbed the thumb. All this happened very quickly. Matt knew he should take 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 stuck two fingers right hand into her mouth and tried to open her jaw to get his thumb. She bit again and more blood came out into the ocean. Murena was not going to let go.

The moray floated away and everything seemed calm... Matt looked down at his hand to see the torn flesh and thumb bone. The thumb is gone. Matt glanced back towards the moray eel to see it swallow his thumb and return to its coral. Becks was wide-eyed and motionless. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She was just filming one of her best friends who had her thumb bitten off by a giant moray eel before her eyes.

Matt didn't panic and made a slow and controlled climb to the surface. At this moment, Claude from the yacht Queen Scuba, sailed past him with a group of divers. Matt showed Claude his hand and pointed out that he had a problem. Claude smiled and continued his dive, believing that Matt was joking. When Matt rose to the surface, the water began to turn red. There was a lot of blood. But the surface of the blood sprayed 50 cm into the air. It was like a fountain, as the tiny arteries were completely severed and opened. Matt yelled loudly at the boat to get him. The boat driver was horrified when he saw the extent of Matt's injury and blood in the water. A compress was applied to the boat and the bleeding was largely stopped. After a quick stop on one of the islands, Matt was sent to the mainland on a motorboat with Becks. 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 the hospital and accumulated 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 thousand dollars).

Video. Moray bit off diver's finger

He was offered the amputation of one of his toes and transplanted to his hand to replace the missing toe. It was necessary to connect all the nerves, tendons and blood vessels, and, in fact, it would be like a new thumb. It took five months. The operation was expensive.

Matt turned to 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 600,000 baht ($16,500).

A month after the operation, the transplant took root and Matt returned to diving. It is worth noting that Matt no longer harbors hatred for moray eels or any other marine life. He still sometimes dives in the same place 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 Killary attack: “Suddenly I got hit in the face really hard. I felt like a rag doll. He grabbed my face and started shaking violently. It bit, pulled, and twirled around my face. I got a terrible feeling of numbness in the right side of my face. My regulator fell out and my vision got really blurry from the blood in the water. The blood looked like octopus ink, very dark.”

Photo. Sea eel


Photo. Eel bite wound


Photo. Stitches on a man's face after being bitten sea ​​eel

Galway Bakery Owner Jimmy had made over 200 dives and knew he had to stay calm in the situation. “I shouldn’t have panicked 25 meters underwater. My regulator (breathing apparatus) was knocked out of my mouth, so panic could have led to my drowning. When he finally let go, I saw that it was a sea eel larger than myself, over six feet long,” Jimmy recalled.

The good news for Griffin was that plastic surgeons did a fantastic job. "I don't even know how many stitches I've had inside and outside my mouth, but they say the scar will eventually be invisible," he said. He received 20 stitches in his face.

Surfer attacked by moray eel in Hawaii
October 17, 2015 33 year old local was surfing on Waikiki Beach when he felt pain in his left leg. He made it to the shore, where passers-by used a towel to stop the bleeding, after medical workers arrived. Although the representative of the Department of Land and natural resources Hawaii said it had never heard of moray eels in the state, officials found no sign of a shark attack, and believed the person's injuries looked like a moray eel bite, not a shark.

Although moray eels often visit coral reefs in Hawaii, officials have not come to a concrete conclusion. At the same time, experts do not exclude other options, noting that recently barracudas have also been seen near Waikiki. Hours before the attack, another person was injured, although officials suspect that in this case Tiger shark could be responsible for the attack. Witnesses reported that a 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 just hung," said one passerby. The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Documentary film of 2010 Moray eels. Alien Empire"

Moray eel attacked a scuba diver when he interfered with the mating ritual
Underwater Polish photographer Bartosz Lukasik in February 2018 while diving on coral reef V South Africa was attacked by a large moray eel. He captured on camera the moment he was chased into Sodwana Bay by a devastated fish.

He was filming two eels when one of them suddenly turned and chased him for almost 15 meters. He believes that the moray eels attacked him because he interrupted the ritual of courtship and mating with his appearance, which undoubtedly angered one of the moray eels.

“Fortunately no one was hurt in this situation. I quickly swam away, the eel pursued me for about 10-15 meters, but in the end, everything was fine. Of course, I did not expect such a situation and did not want to provoke him. I take great care not to interfere with marine life when I'm filming and always try to keep enough distance so that both I and the subject feel comfortable,” commented Lukasik.

Video. Moray eel attacked a diver

However, he was suspected of trying to promote another older entry from 2015, these entries are completely identical. However, the video shows the very moment of the attack on the operator.