One of the most dangerous inhabitants of the seabed is moray eel fish PAGEREF

  1. First meeting.
  2. species diversity.
  3. Lifestyle and connection with the person.
  4. Reproduction and offspring.

One of the most dangerous inhabitants of the seabed is moray eel fish.

First meeting

Moray eel - a fish from ancient times belonged to one of the most interesting and attention-grabbing family of fish. Such greedy enthusiasm in their search, catching and studying can hardly be explained beautiful shape or harmless behavior. Moreover, there were cases of their attacks on people.

Sea fish moray eels belong to the eel-like order. It reaches impressive lengths, the color is variegated, spotted and varies depending on environment. Everyone knows that the nostrils of fish are not designed for breathing, but perform an olfactory function. Moray eels doubly succeeded in this matter, they have two pairs of nostrils.

Also interesting is the fact that they do not have a language. Over time, during the period of growing up, they lose their fins, and this gives a certain resemblance to snakes. Completes this hard-hitting description of something that looks like a fish head with tiny eyes and a prominent mouth. With its ugly array of knife-sharp teeth, its jaw, perhaps, can only be compared with a shark's.

Until recently, it was widely believed that its teeth are poisonous, but numerous studies and studies of this fish have refuted this theory. It is widely believed that the moray eel cannot completely close its mouth due to the size of its teeth, but this fact turned out to be untenable, since this is due to the fact that it hides in places where the flow of water to the gills is difficult and the mouth is used for breathing.

With all their gluttony, moray eels deprive their attention of wrasse fish - cleaners and shrimp - orderlies. These small people underwater world serve as domestic servants for moray eels, they clean their skin on the head and in the mouth.

Species diversity

This family is rich in species diversity, ranging from the Red Sea to the western Indian Ocean species of moray eels:

  • Snowy;
  • Ring;
  • Moray - zebra;
  • White-lipped;
  • wild;
  • Moray Berndt and others.

Muraena Helena

Occurs most often. These predators live in holes in coral reefs, deepenings of underwater rocks. The choice of such a habitat is not accidental and is directly related to the nature and method of its hunting. She hides in secluded places, only slightly sticking her head out, and when the time comes, she attacks an unsuspecting victim with lightning speed. To marine life suffering from her gluttony include the following:

  • Octopuses;
  • Crayfish;
  • small fish;
  • Crabs;
  • Cuttlefish.

If the prey is small, she quickly copes with it with the help of awesome teeth. When she comes across someone bigger, for example, an octopus, she tears off small pieces from him. Even the natural protection of crayfish in the form of a shell cannot save them from their powerful jaws.
Wild moray (Muraenesox ferox)

Of all the species, it is most similar to a snake due to the greater length of the head and its conical shape. It has small brown spots on its sides. The habitat can be subtropical zone Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Berndt's moray eel (Gymnothorax berndti)

Its distinctive feature is its specific coloration. The general light is dark brown with black zigzag stripes all over the body. Found in tropical seas. It is very similar to its counterparts in the way of life and habitats. The features include an almost frenzied pressure with which she attacks her victim and defends herself when threatened.

Lifestyle and human connection

In the underwater world, they are rarely attacked by other fish. Nightlife and camouflage with coral reefs and other natural means of hiding are almost always safe. In rare cases of pursuit, some species can overcome small areas of land with the help of a developed muscular system.

Cases of attacks on a person are rare, since the only reason for an attack can be a manifestation of aggression or excessive curiosity. At the same time, mainly adult individuals pose a serious danger. For the first time, the gourmets of Ancient Rome appreciated the specific taste of the Mediterranean moray eel. Now people are often engaged in fishing related to the extraction of these fish because of the exotic taste, although the meat of some species is poisonous.

Reproduction and offspring

Such a question as reproduction is still not fully understood. Some of their species are dioecious. Like eels, the offspring of moray eels are called leptocifals. The body of small fish is absolutely transparent, in the first minutes of life they are very tiny, the shape of the head is rounded, and the tail fin is rounded.

Due to their tiny size and inability to resist the flow of water, they drift freely with the current. Thus, moray eels, sedentary in their way of life, spread. They quickly become sexually mature and can already produce new offspring. For fish, they have a fairly long life.

Video review of the most dangerous moray fish:

Since ancient times, the moray eel has been considered a dangerous and voracious predator. According to ancient Roman sources, noblemen and nobles used moray eels as one of the ways to punish the guilty slaves. People were thrown into a pool of moray eels and watched for a desperate fight. Before that, predatory fish were kept starving and accustomed to the smell of human blood for several months.


Giant moray (lat. Gymnothorax javanicus) (Eng. Giant moray). Photo by Andrey Narchuk

This is one of the dark sides of the life of moray eels. But are they really so terrible and dangerous to humans? The answer is no! Most of the attacks of moray eels on a person occur solely through the fault of the person himself. And rightly so! There is nothing to tease a predator with long and sharp teeth like daggers.


sharp teeth

Murena attacks a larger enemy only in cases of self-defense. Remember, not a single predator will rush just like that at a creature that exceeds its size. Therefore, curious divers should not stick their hands where they should not, otherwise you can be left without fingers or even a hand. In particular, you should not stick your hands into small holes, caves and grottoes located in coral reefs, since it is there that moray eels live.


In total, there are about 100 species of these predatory fish in the world. Among them, there are both small individuals and giants, for example, the moray eel Gymnothorax javanicus. It is also called Javanese hymnothorax or Javanese lycodont. These moray eels grow up to 3 meters in length.


Her home is the 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.


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.



Giant moray eel and cleaner

The camouflage color of giant moray eels is somewhat reminiscent of a leopard color. The head, upper body and fins are colored yellow-brown and richly covered with dark spots of various sizes. The abdominal part remains without a pattern.

The giant moray eel hunts alone and exclusively at night, but sometimes there are exceptions (more on this below, when the joint hunting of the giant moray eel and sea bass will be considered).

You can't call her a gourmand. It feeds on almost any fish, large or small, crustaceans and cephalopods. She swallows small prey whole, and drives large prey into some crevice and there tears off piece by piece from it.


The pharyngeal jaw is indicated by an arrow

Huge and sharp teeth help to quickly deal with prey. BUT, here lies a small secret of almost all moray eels, they have not one, but two pairs of jaws in their mouths. The first one is the main big teeth, is located where it should be, and the second - pharyngeal - in the pharynx. (P.S. They say that it was the moray eel that served as the prototype for the creation of a second, smaller, retractable jaw in the monster from the Alien movie.)

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".

Well, now the promised - some entertaining information about the joint hunting of a giant moray eel and sea bass - another predatory inhabitant of the underwater world.


Moray eel and sea bass

Usually each of them hunts alone: ​​moray eels - at night and from ambush, and sea bass - during the day and in open water, so the only shelter from it are corals. But some Red Sea moray eels decided to break all the rules - from time to time they go hunting during the day, and even with a companion.

Almost always, the initiator of such a hunt is the sea bass. He swims up to the moray eel mink and if her mistress has already put her head out, she shakes her head in different directions right in front of her nose. These actions mean an invitation to a joint hunt. The fish takes this step only if it is very hungry or its prey has disappeared into a shelter not far from the moray eel mink.


After escorting it to the right place, the perch begins to shake its head, pointing to the right place. And the moray eel slips inside for prey. All lunch is caught. The giant moray eel does not always eat fish that it has caught with the help of a companion. Periodically, she gives it to her "comrade".


Little is known about the breeding process of the giant moray. Like other species, it reproduces by caviar. Most often, several females gather in shallow water, where they lay eggs, which are then fertilized by males. Often the eggs travel in the water along with sea currents and are carried over long distances.


Hatching moray eels feed on zooplankton until they grow up. Then they move to corals or reef areas to escape other predators, most often sharks.


Oral cleaning

Moray eels are not eaten so often and there is no directed fishing for them. Although in Ancient Rome moray eels were highly valued for the specific taste of meat. If smaller representatives of moray eels can be kept in an aquarium, then such a trick is unlikely to work with a giant moray eel, it will need too much space for a comfortable stay.

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 naked, 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, - here is a short moray eel. To this we can add an elongated laterally flattened body, devoid of pectoral and ventral 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 inner side gums are covered with the same pattern as the 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 victims 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 is a fish about which there are many gloomy legends as an insatiable dangerous creature that 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 agile 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. This has been written many times famous researchers ocean and divers.

This huge scary fish is very reminiscent of a snake, and not only with the outlines of an elongated body. Like all eels, the moray eel swims and crawls like a true snake, noticeably bending its body.

Description of the 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 not small: representatives of the smallest species grow up to 0.6 m with a weight of 8–10 kg, while giant moray eels grow up to almost 4 meters with a weight of 40 kg.

Appearance

Few people managed to see the moray eels in full height, since during the day it almost completely climbs into a rocky crevice, leaving only the head outside. It seems to rare observers that the moray eel is grinning angrily: this impression is created due to the prickly look and constantly open mouth with large pointed teeth.

In reality, the muzzle of the moray eel embodies 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, as this is prevented by giant teeth. In fact, this is how the fish gets the oxygen it needs by passing water through its mouth and pumping it through the gills.

Moray eels do not have many teeth (23–28), forming one row and slightly curved back. Those species that mainly prey on crustaceans are armed with less sharp teeth adapted for crushing shells.

Moray eels have no tongue, but nature made up for this shortcoming by rewarding them with two pairs of nostrils resembling small tubes. Moray eels (like other fish) need nostrils not to breathe, but to smell. The moray eel's excellent sense of smell to some extent compensates for the capabilities of its weak visual apparatus.

Someone compares moray eels with snakes, someone with fantastic leeches: everything is to blame for the disproportionately elongated and laterally flattened torso. The resemblance to a leech arises from the thin tail, which contrasts with the thickened muzzle and front of the body.

Moray eels do not have pectoral fins, but the dorsal fin stretches along the entire ridge. The thick smooth skin is devoid of scales and painted in camouflage colors that echo the surrounding landscape.

The most popular shades and patterns of moray eels:

  • black;
  • Gray;
  • brown;
  • white;
  • finely speckled pattern (polka dots, "marble", stripes and asymmetric spots).

Since the moray eel does not close its impressive mouth in ambush, the inner surface of the latter must match the color of the body so as not to violate the general disguise.

Types of moray eels

So far, different sources provide conflicting data on moray eel species. The most commonly mentioned 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);
  • muraena lentiginosa;
  • muraena melanotis;
  • muraena pavonina;
  • muraena retifera;
  • muraena robusta.

Where did the number 200 come from? Approximately as many species are included in the family Muraenidae (Mourenovye), which is part of the eel-like 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 Murena, which includes 10 listed species. 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. No wonder the giant moray eel is also called the Javanese hymnothorax.

Character and behavior

There are a lot of speculations around snake-like fish that do not stand up to scrutiny upon close examination. The moray eel will not attack first if it is not provoked, teased and not shown intrusive attention (which inexperienced divers often sin).

Of course, hand-feeding a moray eel is a spectacular sight, but at the same time extremely dangerous (as happens with careless handling of any wild predator). A disturbed fish will not stand on ceremony and can injure quite noticeably. Sometimes spontaneous aggression of moray eels is provoked not only by fear, but also by trauma, physiological state or malaise.

Even hitting a hook or harpoon, the moray eel will defend itself until its strength runs out. At first, she will try to hide in a crevice, dragging an underwater hunter behind her, but if the maneuver fails, she will begin to wriggle on land, crawl to the sea, fight and snap her teeth uncompromisingly.

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.

Few people managed to escape from the sharp teeth of the moray eels on their own, without resorting to outside help. Bite this predatory fish extremely painful, and the wound heals for a very long time (up to death).

By the way, it was the latter circumstance that led ichthyologists to the idea of ​​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 the remnants of food in the mouth: these microorganisms infect wounds.

Image and life expectancy

Moray eels - recognized loners respecting the principle of territoriality. Sometimes they are closely adjacent to each other, but only because of the tight fit 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, they have little help from sight, but mainly from an excellent sense of smell. If the nasal openings 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 “rolls out” at the right moment to grab the victim and drag it into the esophagus. Such a design oral apparatus due to the narrowness of the holes: moray eels cannot (like other underwater predators) fully open their mouths in order to immediately pull the prey inside.

Important. Moray eels have almost no natural enemies. Two circumstances contribute to this - her sharp teeth and the strength with which she clings to the enemy, as well as her constant stay in natural shelters.

A free-swimming predator is rarely attacked by more than big fish, but always quickly hides in the nearest rock gap. They say that certain types they leave their pursuers, crawling away like snakes on land. It is also necessary to switch to a land-based mode of transportation during low tides.

No one has yet measured the life span of moray eels, but it is believed that most of the 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 amazing species diversity of these fish is noted in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. A lot of moray eels have chosen the water expanses of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (separate areas), as well as the Mediterranean Sea.

Moray eels, like many eel-like fish, rarely go 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 the moray eel eat

A moray eel sitting in ambush lures a potential victim with nasal tubes (similar to annelids), moving them. A fish that is sure to have noticed sea ​​worms, swims closer and gets into the teeth of the moray eel, grabbing her with a lightning throw.

The diet of moray eels is made up of almost all digestible marine life:

  • octopuses;
  • lobsters;
  • fish;
  • cuttlefish;
  • crabs;
  • squids;
  • sea ​​urchins.

For catching big booty(for example, octopuses), as well as for cutting it, moray eels use a special technique, the main tool of which is the tail. The moray eel wraps it around a tightly seated stone, ties it 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 pull out pieces of pulp from the victim.

moray eels belong to the family Moray(lat. Muraenidae) are bottom marine ray-finned fish of the eel order.

Moray eels are found everywhere in the basins of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans in tropical and temperate latitudes. They live at the bottom among stones, in coral crevices, in caves and grottoes at depths of up to 50 meters. Some species, for example, Yellow-mouthed moray, can descend to a depth of 150-170 meters.

A powerful serpentine body, slightly flattened from the sides, without scales allows these fish to easily and gracefully not only swim near the bottom, but also penetrate and hide in crevices and burrows between stones. The dorsal fin stretches along the entire body from the head itself, smoothly passing into the tail. In the huge mouth of moray eels there are two pairs of jaws with sharp canine teeth. The second pair of jaws is located deep in the pharynx and moves forward to grab the prey and pull it into the esophagus. The color of the body can be either monophonic or with many multi-colored spots and stripes.


Moray eels feed on fish, crabs, lobsters, cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, octopuses) - almost everything that moves. They are active mainly at night, although there are species with daytime activity. During the day they hide in their shelters, periodically changing position and exposing only their massive head. Their constantly opening toothy mouth looks very menacing. In deserted places and at night, moray eels often visit shallow waters.


The size of these fish varies in a very wide range, the length of the smallest moray eel does not exceed 11.5 cm, this is the species Anarchias leucurus, which is not found in the Red Sea, and the largest is the giant moray eel, Gymnothorax javanicus, whose length reaches 3 meters, and the weight reaches 30 kg, this moray eel is very widespread in the Red Sea. But the largest representative of moray eels is the species Strophidon sathete, the length of this fish reaches 4 meters.

Moray eels received their vicious reputation not quite deservedly. Despite their creepy appearance, they do not attack first, unless divers show increased attention to them, provoking, annoying or trying to hand-feed these predators. Feeding moray eels from the hands is a very impressive sight, but always presents a certain danger, since the behavior of these fish is difficult to predict. The eyesight of moray eels is rather weak, but the sense of smell is well developed, and sudden aggressiveness can be associated with a physiological state, fear, illness, or damage received the day before. Despite the absence of poisonous teeth, moray eel bites are very painful and do not heal for a long time; when bitten, an moray eel hangs on the victim with a stranglehold, like a bull terrier, while shaking its jaw, inflicting lacerated wounds with sharp teeth. It is usually not possible to free yourself, you need help.

On the video - a moray eel attack on divers:

In ancient Rome, moray eel meat was highly valued because of its specific taste. The Romans kept fish in special huge aquariums and artificial reservoirs. Currently, moray eels are not fished, because. ciguatoxin is present in the skin of some species, especially those found in the Indo-Pacific.

Moray eels tolerate desalination well, therefore they often live in estuaries and often enter fresh water.

Eggs and larvae develop in the upper layers of water and are carried by the current over great distances. The stage of leptocephalus, a transparent larva 7-10 mm long, characteristic of all eel-like fish, lasts several months.

Many moray eels are hermaphrodites - most of them first mature as males, and subsequently change sex. There are also synchronous hermaphrodites, which simultaneously develop male and female organs breeding.

Large moray eels throughout their life - about 10 years, live in one place and are well known to local guides.