He then exits the room, leaving the eel and the blanketed tank in the room together. ![]() A man walks into the room, holding a smaller tank with a blanket over it, a lays it down next to the eel's tank. While several species regularly are found in brackish water, very few species can be found in freshwater, for example the freshwater moray ( Gymnothorax polyuranodon) and the pink-lipped moray eel ( Echidna rhodochilus).Ī Moray Eel is swimming in a tank in an aquarium somewhere in the USA. They live at depths of up to several hundred metres, where they spend most of their time concealed inside crevices and alcoves. Very few species occur outside the tropics or subtropics, and the ones that do only extend marginally beyond these regions. ![]() Moray eels are cosmopolitan, found in both tropical and temperate seas, although the largest species richness is at reefs in warm oceans. Morays rest in crevices during the day and hunt nocturnally, although they may ensnare small fish and crustaceans that pass near them during the day. While the majority are not believed to be venomous, circumstantial evidence suggests that a few species may be.Įels that have eaten certain types of toxic algae, or more frequently that have eaten fishes that have eaten some of these algae, can cause ciguatera fish poisoning if eaten. The moray's rear-hooked teeth and primitive but strong bite mechanism also makes bites on humans more severe, as the eel cannot release its grip even in death and must be manually pried off. For this reason the hand feeding of moray eels has been banned in some locations, including the Great Barrier Reef. Making distinguishing between fingers and held food difficult numerous divers have lost fingers while attempting hand feedings. Sharp teeth, is very flexable can fit into many small gaps Morays have poor vision and rely mostly on their acute sense of smell,Īll over the world's oceans in coral reefs. Most attacks stem from disruption of a moray's burrow (to which they do react strongly), but an increasing number also occur during hand-feeding of morays by divers, an activity often used by dive companies to attract tourists. Morays are shy and secretive, and attack humans only in self-defence or mistaken identity. In truth, morays hide from humans in crevices and would rather flee than fight. ![]() The Morays are frequently thought of as particularly vicious or ill-tempered animals. The largest in terms of total mass is the giant moray ( Gymnothorax javanicus), which reaches almost 3 metres (9.8 ft) and can weigh over 36 kilograms (79 lb). With a maximum length of 11.5 centimetres (4.5 in), the smallest moray is likely the Snyder's moray ( Anarchias leucurus), while the longest species, the slender giant moray ( Strophidon sathete) reaches up to 4 metres (13 ft). The approximately 200 species in 15 genera are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water and a few, for example the freshwater moray ( Gymnothorax polyuranodon) can sometimes be found in freshwater. Moray eels are cosmopolitan eels of the family Muraenidae.
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