Moray Eels Codexery

Moray eel

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Moray eel

Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · via Wikipedia: Moray eel · CC BY-SA 2.0

Moray eels are a family of elongated, snake-like fish found worldwide, with over 200 species in 16 genera.[1][2] The elongated look of most moray eels is due to the absence of both pectoral and pelvic fins.[3] A protective mucus layer, which can be toxic in certain species, covers their bodies.[4][5]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderAnguilliformes
  6. FamilyMuraenidae

Named by Rafinesque, 1810

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Moray eel (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Species count
approximately 200
Genera count
16
Subfamilies
Muraeninae and Uropterygiinae
Largest genus
Gymnothorax (more than half of all species)
Known freshwater species
Gymnothorax polyuranodon

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

The English name "moray" dates to the early 17th century, derived from Portuguese and ultimately from Greek and Latin names for the Mediterranean moray.[6] Morays have a dorsal fin that extends from behind the head and joins with the caudal and anal fins, except in the subfamily Uropterygiinae where fins are restricted to the tail tip.[3] Their jaws are wide with a protruding snout, and most species have large teeth for tearing flesh or grasping prey.[7] Some species, like the snowflake moray and zebra moray, have blunt, molar-like teeth for crushing crustaceans.[7]

Morays possess a second set of jaws called pharyngeal jaws, which they launch forward to grasp prey and transport it into the throat.[8] They are the only known animals that use pharyngeal jaws to actively capture and restrain prey.[8] After fertilization, eggs develop into transparent, ribbon-like leptocephalus larvae that remain in the pelagic zone for up to a year.[9] Smaller fish, crabs, and octopuses make up the primary diet of morays, which are opportunistic carnivores.[10]

Only a small number of moray species, for instance Gymnothorax polyuranodon, inhabit freshwater; the overwhelming majority live exclusively in marine environments.[11]

What the cited sources add

The same source states that female moray eels can release 10,000 eggs at a time on average.[5] Maddox also warns that all morays are escape artists and that a common cause of death is escape and desiccation.[12] The "Moray Eel Facts and Habitat" source explains that the absence of pectoral fins gives morays their signature snakelike motion.[13] That same source notes that moray eels are generally solitary and territorial, and do not migrate long distances.[13]

According to the Khao Lak Explorer account, moray eels are nocturnal and possess very poor eyesight.[5]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reece, "Phylogenetics and phylogeography of moray eels (Muraenidae)", Washington University Open Scholarship, January 2010; Reece, "Phylogenetics and phylogeography of moray eels (Muraenidae)", Washington University Open Scholarship, January 2010; Reece, "Phylogenetics and phylogeography of moray eels (Muraenidae)", Washington University Open Scholarship, January 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Crazy facts about the moray eel", Khao Lak Explorer (khaolakexplorer.com), 2019-08-16 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fishelson, "Skin morphology and cytology in marine eels adapted to different lifestyles", The Anatomical Record, September 1996, p. 15–29 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. "Crazy facts about the moray eel", Khao Lak Explorer (khaolakexplorer.com), 2019-08-16. facts only, no text reused. khaolakexplorer.com
  6. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: d'Arcy, "Glossary of Greek Fishes", Oxford University Press, 1947, p. 162–165 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Randall, "Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific", University of Hawai'i Press, 2005 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Raptorial jaws in the throat help moray eels swallow large prey", Nature, September 2007, p. 79–82; Hopkin, "Eels imitate Alien: Fearsome fish have protruding jaws in their throats to grab prey", Nature News, 2007-09-05; "Moray eels are uniquely equipped to pack big prey into their narrow bodies", nsf.gov/news (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Moray Eel - Anatomy, Feeding, Behaviour, Reproduction and Types" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kooser, "See a snowflake moray eel swallow a sushi snack in an extraordinary way", CNET; Young, "Activity Patterns, Diet, and Shelter Site Use for Two Species of Moray Eels, Gymnothorax moringa and Gymnothorax vicinus, in Belize", Copeia, February 2003, p. 44–55; Pimiento, "Predation on Speared Red Lionfish, Pterois Volitans, by Spotted Moray, Gymnothorax Moringa", Florida Scientist, 2013, p. 391–394; Weisberger, "These eels can swallow prey on land, thanks to extendable jaws in their throats", livescience.com, 10 June 2021; "Moray Eel - Fact en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Moray eel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ebner, "Distinct habitat selection by freshwater morays in tropical rainforest streams", Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 2015, p. 329–335; Tsukamoto, "Freshwater habitat use by a moray eel species, Gymnothorax polyuranodon, in Fiji shown by otolith microchemistry", Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2014, p. 1377–1385 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Maddox, "Morays!", TFH Magazine. facts only, no text reused. tfhmagazine.com
  13. "Moray Eel Facts and Habitat | All About Morena Fish Species". facts only, no text reused. jukadi.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Moray eel (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Gymnothorax, Spotted moray

More in Moray Eels

Channomuraena vittataEnchelycoreMuraenaRibbon eelScuticaria okinawaeScuticaria tigrinaUropterygiusViper morayChain morayEchidna nocturnaSnowflake morayLeopard moray eel

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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