Moray eel. Dangerous predator with the appearance of a snake

I don’t think anyone is fascinated by the appearance of moray eels - despite the often beautiful color of its 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 inhospitable character of moray eels are absolutely not conducive to friendly communication.
Let's try to get to know this interesting and interesting unique fish. Perhaps our attitude towards her will warm up, at least a little.
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 waters tropical and subtropical zones. A frequent visitor to coral reefs and underwater rocks.
Quite often found in the Red Sea, they also live in the Mediterranean. The Red Sea is home to the 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, which lives in the Mediterranean Sea, reaches 1.5 meters in length. It was her image that became the prototype for numerous legends and myths about these predatory fish with quite unusual appearance. For permanent residence, they choose clefts in rocks, shelters in underwater stone rubble, in general, places where they can reliably hide a large and completely unprotected body. It lives mainly in the bottom layer of seas.

The body color is camouflaged and matches the surrounding landscape. More often, moray eels are colored in dark brown or grayish tones with spots that form a kind of marble pattern on the body. There are also monochromatic and even white specimens. Since the mouth of moray eels is of considerable size, its inner surface is colored 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 is almost always 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, which give the moray eel an even more evil appearance. Behind the eyes there are small gill openings, which usually have 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 pair has the shape of tubes in some species, and leaves in others. If a moray eel “plugs” its nasal openings, it will not be able to find its prey. Interesting feature moray eel – absence of tongue. Their powerful jaws are lined with 23-28 sharp fang-shaped or awl-shaped teeth, curved back, which helps moray eels hold caught prey. Almost all moray eels have teeth arranged in one row. The exception is the Atlantic green moray eel, in which an additional row of teeth is located on the palatine bone.

Moray eels have long and extremely sharp teeth. In some species of moray eels, whose diet is dominated by armored animals - crustaceans, crabs, the teeth have a flattened shape. With such teeth it is easier to split and grind the durable protection of prey. Moray eels' teeth do not contain poison. The jaws of all moray eels are very powerful, large sizes. Pectoral fins moray eels are absent, and the rest - dorsal, anal and caudal - have fused into one train, framing the back of the body.

Moray eels can reach significant sizes. By different sources, their length can be 2.5 and even more than 3 meters (the world's largest giant moray eel is Thyrsoidea macrura). One and a half meter individuals weigh on average 8-10 kg. Interestingly, males are smaller and “slimmer” than females. Here's the strong sex!, 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 the moray eels most commonly encountered by divers is approximately one meter. As a rule, males are slightly smaller than females.

Moray eels reproduce using eggs. IN winter months they gather in shallow water, where fertilization of eggs laid by females occurs with the reproductive products of males. The eggs and moray eel larvae that hatch from them move in the water by sea currents and are carried throughout large area sea areas. Moray eels are predators, their diet consists of various bottom animals - crabs, crustaceans, cephalopods, especially octopuses, small sea fish and even sea urchins. They obtain food mainly at night. Lying in ambush, moray eels lie in wait for unwary prey, jumping out like an arrow if a potential victim appears within reach, and grabs it with their sharp teeth. During the day, moray eels sit in their homes - crevices of rocks and corals, among large stones and other natural shelters and rarely hunt. The sight of a moray eel dealing with its prey is quite 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 octopus. In pursuit of this sedentary animal, the moray eel drives it into a “corner” - some kind of shelter or crevice and, poking its head towards its soft body, tears off piece by piece from it, starting with the tentacles, until it tears it into small pieces and eats 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, which, like a lever, increases the power of its jaws. Nosed moray eels use a unique method of hunting. These relatively small representatives of moray eels are named so for the outgrowths above their upper jaw. These nasal projections, oscillating in the flow of water, resemble sessile sea worms- polychaete. The sight of “prey” attracts small fish, which very quickly find themselves prey to a hidden predator.

In search of food, moray eels, like most nocturnal predators, rely on their sense of smell. Their vision is poorly developed, and even at night it is a poor assistant in searching for food. A moray eel can sense its prey from 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 due to their specific taste. Quickly assessing the ability of moray eels to be aggressive, noble Romans used them as a tool to punish offending slaves, and sometimes threw people into a tank with moray eels solely for the sake of entertainment. Indeed - oh, times!.. Oh, morals!.. Moray, before such torture or spectacles were carried out, was kept from hand to mouth. 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 habitat 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 to be 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, scuba dived near Johnston Island in Pacific Ocean at shallow depths. Before Brock was immersed in the water, a grenade was thrown into the water - this was part of the research program that the biologist was engaged in. Noticing a large moray eel in the water and thinking that it had been killed by a grenade, Brock pierced it with a spear. However, the moray eel, which was 2.4 meters long, turned out to be far from dead: it rushed straight at the offender and grabbed his elbow. A moray eel, attacking a person, inflicts a wound that is similar to the bite mark of a barracuda. But unlike the barracuda, the moray eel does not immediately swim away, but hangs on its victim like a bulldog. Brock managed to rise to the surface and reach a boat waiting nearby. However, surgeons had to tinker with this wound for a long time, as it turned out to be very severe. The victim almost lost his arm.

The famous pop singer Dieter Bohlen (duet Modern Talking) also suffered from a moray eel. While diving in the area Seychelles The moray eel grabbed his leg, tearing the singer's skin and muscles. After this incident, D. Bolen underwent surgery and spent a whole month in wheelchair. Once, experts even had to relocate a pair of moray eels from a reef popular among tourists (Old cod hole, Great Barrier Reef, 1996). While feeding, the fish tore the hand of a New Zealand diver so badly that it was impossible to save him. Unfortunately, the moray eels died during transportation.

I think that the examples given will help novice divers assess the danger of encountering moray eels and take measures to prevent such cases. These measures are simple - you should not provoke the moray eel into aggressive actions. Very rarely (usually exhausted by hunger) moray eels attack people for no reason. Having seen a moray eel, you should not irritate this fish - approach its home, try to stroke it, and even more so - stick your hands into its shelter. Fans of spearfishing should not shoot into holes and crevices just to check whether 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.

There is no targeted fishing for moray eels. They are caught in single specimens for food consumption. It should be noted that the meat and some organs of moray eels are different times years may contain toxic substances, causing 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 confined space may be different. Often moray eels show extreme aggressiveness towards their neighbors in the aquarium, sometimes they are completely indifferent to their roommates. In captivity, moray eels can live more than ten years. Moray eels, like everyone else 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 scary monsters. Back then they believed in huge sea monsters capable of swallowing a whole ship. And this ability was attributed, in particular, to moray eels. Later in history, there were cases where they were trained to attack humans. But all this has never stopped 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. This is such a strange food chain. In the Caribbean, moray eel ceviche is still popular - a dish that is prepared in a very exotic and rather brutal way.

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 height, since during the day she almost completely climbs into the rocky crevice, leaving only her 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 they stretch along the entire ridge dorsal. 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 types. By by and large, even the giant moray eel has an indirect relationship to 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 in right moment“rolls out” to grab the victim and drag it into the esophagus. This design oral apparatus due to the narrowness of the burrows: the moray eel cannot (like other underwater predators) fully 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 predator that goes free swimming is rarely attacked for more than large 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. The stunning species diversity of these fish is noted in Indian Ocean and the 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. The moray wraps it around a tightly fitting stone, ties itself into a knot and begins to contract the 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.

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 partitioned ponds.

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

Features and habitat of moray eels

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. Their appearance is quite frightening and unflattering: a huge mouth and small eyes, the body is slightly flattened on the sides.

If you look at photo of moray eel fish, 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 quite long, so the fish’s mouth almost never closes. The fish's vision is very poorly developed, and it identifies its victims by smell, which allows them to determine the presence of prey at an impressive distance.

Fish - snake moray eel has no scales, and its color can vary depending on its habitat. Most individuals have a variegated color with the presence of blue and yellow-brown shades, but there are also absolutely white fish.

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

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

Today there are more than a hundred species 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 at great depths up to fifty meters. Some species, such as the yellowmouth moray, are capable of descending to depths of one hundred and fifty meters and even lower.

In general, the appearance of these individuals is so unique that it is difficult to find another fish similar to moray eel. There is a widespread belief that the moray eel is poisonous fish, which is actually not so far from the truth.

The bite of a moray eel is very painful; in addition, the fish firmly clings with its teeth to one or another part of the body, and it is extremely difficult 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 takes a very long time to heal and causes constant discomfort; there are even cases where a moray eel bite caused death.

Character and lifestyle of moray eel fish

The fish leads predominantly night image life. During the day, she usually hides among coral reefs, in crevices rocks or between the stones, and with the onset of night it invariably goes out hunting.

Most individuals choose to live in depths of up to forty meters, spending most of their time in shallow water. Speaking of description of moray eel fish, it is necessary to note the fact that these fish do not settle in schools, preferring a solitary lifestyle.

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

The fish's grip is very strong, since it has an additional pair of jaws for thoroughly grinding food, so many compare it with the iron grip of a bulldog.

Moray eel nutrition

The diet of moray eels consists of various fish, cuttlefish, sea urchins, octopuses and crabs. During the day, moray eels hide among all kinds of shelters from corals and stones, while possessing excellent camouflage abilities.

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

If the prey turns out to be 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 great pressure in the jaw muscles, reaching up to one ton. As a result, the moray eel bites off a significant piece of its victim, at least partially satisfying the feeling of hunger.

Reproduction and lifespan of moray eel

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

The fish eggs that are born are small in size (no more than ten millimeters), so the current can carry them over a long distance, thus individuals from one “brood” are scattered across various places habitat.

The larva of the moray eel fish that is born is called “leptocephalus”. Moray eels reach sexual maturity at the age of four to six years, after which the individual becomes capable of reproducing in the future.

Life expectancy of moray eel fish in conditions natural habitat is approximately ten years. 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.

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 appearance Moray eels need 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 regular holes, and the rear pair can take the form of tubes or leaves, in different ways 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 breed 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.

Nose moray eels are not a large species of moray eel. 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 the 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:

Let's try to get to know this fish, which is interesting and unique in its own way. Perhaps our attitude towards her will warm up, at least a little.

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 the warm waters of tropical and subtropical zones. A frequent visitor to coral reefs and underwater rocks.

Quite often found in the Red Sea, they also live in the Mediterranean. The Red Sea is home to the 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, which lives in the Mediterranean Sea, reaches 1.5 meters in length. It was her image that became the prototype for numerous legends and myths about these predatory fish with a rather unusual appearance. For permanent residence, they choose clefts in rocks, shelters in underwater stone rubble, in general, places where they can reliably hide a large and completely unprotected body. It lives mainly in the bottom layer of seas.

The head bears small round eyes, which give the moray eel an even more evil appearance. Behind the eyes there 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 tubes, and in others - leaflets. If a moray eel's nasal openings are plugged, it will not be able to find its prey. An interesting feature of moray eels is the absence of a tongue. Their powerful jaws are lined with 23-28 sharp fang-shaped or awl-shaped teeth, curved back, which helps moray eels hold caught prey. Almost all moray eels have teeth arranged in one row. The exception is the Atlantic green moray eel, in which an additional row of teeth is located on the palatine bone.

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

Moray eels can reach significant sizes. According to various sources, their length can be 2.5 or even more than 3 meters (the largest giant moray eel in the world is Thyrsoidea macrura). One and a half meter individuals weigh on average 8-10 kg. Interestingly, males are smaller and slimmer than females. Here's the strong sex!, 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 the moray eels most commonly encountered by divers is approximately one meter. As a rule, males are slightly smaller than females.

Moray eels reproduce using eggs. In the winter months, they gather in shallow water, where the eggs laid by the females are fertilized with the reproductive products of the males. The eggs and moray eel larvae that hatch from them move in the water by sea currents and are carried over a large area of the sea. Moray eels are predators, their diet consists of various bottom animals - crabs, crustaceans, cephalopods, especially octopuses, small sea fish and even sea urchins. They obtain food mainly at night. Lying in ambush, moray eels lie in wait for unwary prey, jumping out like an arrow if a potential victim appears within reach, and grabs it with its sharp teeth. During the day, moray eels sit in their homes - crevices of rocks and corals, among large stones and other natural shelters and rarely hunt. The sight of a moray eel dealing with its prey is quite 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 octopus. In pursuit of this sedentary animal, the moray eel drives it into a “corner” - some kind of shelter or crevice and, poking its head towards its soft body, tears off piece by piece from it, starting with the tentacles, until it tears it into small pieces and eats 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, which, like a lever, increases the power of its jaws. Nosed moray eels use a unique method of hunting. These relatively small representatives of moray eels are named so for the outgrowths above their upper jaw. These nasal projections, oscillating in the current of water, resemble sessile sea worms - polychaetes. The sight of “prey” attracts small fish, which very quickly find themselves prey to a hidden predator.

In search of food, moray eels, like most nocturnal predators, rely on their sense of smell. Their vision is poorly developed, and even at night it is a poor assistant in searching for food. A moray eel can sense its prey from 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 due to their specific taste. Quickly assessing the ability of moray eels to be aggressive, noble Romans used them as a tool to punish offending slaves, and sometimes threw people into a tank with moray eels solely for the sake of entertainment. Indeed - oh, times!.. Oh, morals!.. Moray, before such torture or spectacles were carried out, was kept from hand to mouth. 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.

There are different opinions about the danger of moray eels to people in their natural habitat. Some researchers consider it to be a fairly peaceful animal, using its teeth solely for the sake of protection from too annoying divers, while others consider the moray eel to be 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 into the water - this was part of the research program that the biologist was engaged in. Noticing a large moray eel in the water and thinking that it had been killed by a grenade, Brock pierced it with a spear. However, the moray eel, which was 2.4 meters long, turned out to be far from dead: it rushed straight at the offender and grabbed his elbow. A moray eel, attacking a person, inflicts a wound that is similar to the bite mark of a barracuda. But unlike the barracuda, the moray eel does not immediately swim away, but hangs on its victim like a bulldog. Brock managed to rise to the surface and reach a boat waiting nearby. However, surgeons had to tinker with this wound for a long time, as it turned out to be very severe. The victim almost lost his arm.

The famous pop singer Dieter Bohlen (duet Modern Talking) also suffered from a moray eel. While diving near the Seychelles, a moray eel grabbed his leg, tearing the singer's skin and muscles. After this incident, D. Bolen underwent surgery and spent a whole month in a wheelchair. Once, experts even had to relocate a pair of moray eels from a reef popular among tourists (Old cod hole, Great Barrier Reef, 1996). While feeding, the fish tore the hand of a New Zealand diver so badly that it was impossible to save him. Unfortunately, the moray eels died during transportation.

There is no targeted fishing for moray eels. They are caught in single specimens for food consumption. It should be noted that the meat and some organs of moray eels at different times of the year 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 confined space may be different. Often moray eels show extreme aggressiveness towards their neighbors in the aquarium, sometimes they are completely indifferent to their roommates. In captivity, moray eels can live more than ten years. Moray eels, like all predatory fish, are an important part of 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. Back then they believed in huge sea monsters capable of swallowing a whole ship. And this ability was attributed, in particular, to moray eels. Later in history, there were cases where they were trained to attack humans. But all this has never stopped 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. This is such a strange food chain. In the Caribbean, moray eel ceviche is still a popular dish, which is prepared in a very exotic and rather brutal way.