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Moray eels, or Muraenidae ( / ˈmɒreɪ, məˈreɪ / ), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few are found in fresh water. [2]
Learn about the moray eel, a snake-like fish with two lines of teeth and a slippery mucus. Find out where they live, what they eat, how they reproduce, and whether they make good pets.
Jul 9, 2020 · Learn about the moray eel, a family of eels with over 200 species and distinctive features. Discover how they hunt, cooperate, and accumulate toxins in this comprehensive article.
- Gabe Buckley
- Anguilliformes
- Actinopterygii
- Chordata
Moray is a genus of eels with small rounded gill openings and strong teeth, living in tropical and subtropical seas. Learn about their appearance, behaviour, diet, and toxicity, as well as other teleost fishes and their diversity.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Up to 40yrs
- 12cm-10 feet
- Tropical and temperate waters, worldwide
- These sea serpents are actually bony fish. Though snake-like, morays, and eels in general, are a type of bony fish, in the class of Actinopterygii, along with 99% of all fish species, in the order Anguilliformes; so called because they look like eels.
- Morays have two pairs of jaws. Pharyngeal jaws are second set of smaller jaws located in the throat of the moray eel, behind the normal jaws in the mouth, complete with tiny teeth.
- Some of them are bastards. The banana eel, Gymnothorax miliaris is known to be a particularly aggressive species. So much so, that its less-affectionate nickname is the Bastard eel.
- Morays don’t have any scales. Despite being fish, eels are a peculiar lot. They have a dorsal fin that runs the entire length of their backs, which makes them look sort of punky, and they have a spongy, sluggy texture from their lack of scales.
The giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) is a species of moray eel and a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae. In terms of body mass, it is the largest moray eel; however, the slender giant moray is the largest in terms of body length.
Learn about moray eels, elongated fish with sharp teeth and a second set of jaws in their throat. Find out their habitat, diet, predators, toxin, anatomy, behavior, and reproduction.
