Moray eel

Moray eels, orMuraenidae(/ˈmɒreɪ,məˈreɪ/), are afamilyofeelswhose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusivelymarine, but several species are regularly seen inbrackish water, and a few are found infresh water.
The English name,moray, dates back to the early 17th century, and is believed to be a derivative fromPortuguesemoréia, which itself derives fromLatinmūrēna, in turn fromGreekμύραινα,muraina; these are the Latin and Greek names of theMediterranean moray.
Thedorsal finextends from just behind the head along the back and joins seamlessly with thecaudalandanal fins. Most species lackpectoralandpelvic fins, adding to their serpentine appearance. Their eyes are rather small; morays rely mostly on their highly developed sense of smell, lying in wait toambushprey.
The body is generally patterned. In some species, the inside of the mouth is also patterned. Their jaws are wide, framing a protruding snout. Most possess large teeth used to tear flesh or grasp slippery prey. A relatively small number of species, for example thesnowflake moray(Echidna nebulosa) andzebra moray(Gymnomuraena zebra), primarily feed oncrustaceansand other hard-shelled animals, and they have blunt,molar-like teeth suitable for crushing.
Morays secrete a protectivemucusover their smooth, scaleless skin, which in some species contains a toxin. They have much thicker skin and high densities ofgoblet cellsin theepidermisthat allows mucus to be produced at a higher rate than in other eel species. This allows sand granules to adhere to the sides of their burrows in sand-dwelling morays,thus making the walls of the burrow more permanent due to theglycosylationofmucinsin mucus. Placement of their small, circulargillson their flanks, far behind the mouth, requires the moray to maintain a gape / gulping motion to facilitaterespiration.
Thepharyngeal jawsof morays are located farther back in the head and closely resemble the oral jaws (complete with tiny "teeth"). When feeding, morays launch these jaws into the mouth cavity, where they grasp prey and transport it into the throat. Moray eels are the only known animals that use pharyngeal jaws to actively capture and restrain prey in this way.
In addition to the presence of pharyngeal jaws, morays' mouth openings extend far back into the head, compared to fish which feed using suction. In the action of lunging at prey and biting down, water flows out the posterior side of the mouth opening, reducing waves in front of the eel which would otherwise displace prey. Thus, aggressive predation is still possible even with reduced bite times.In at least one species, theCalifornia moray(Gymnothorax mordax), teeth in the roof of the mouth are able to fold down as prey slides backwards, thus preventing the teeth from breaking and maintaining a hold on prey as it is transported to the throat.
Differing shapes of the jaw and teeth reflect the respective diets of different species of moray eel. Evolving separately multiple times within the Muraenidae family, short, rounded jaws and molar-like teeth allowdurophagouseels (e.g. zebra moray and genusEchidna) to consume crustaceans, while otherpiscivorousgenera of Muraenidae have pointed jaws and longer teeth.These morphological patterns carry over to teeth positioned on the pharyngeal jaw.
Morays are opportunistic,carnivorouspredatorsand feed primarily on smaller fish, crabs, andoctopuses.Aspotted moray eelhas been observed eating ared lionfishwithout harm.Groupers,barracudasandsea snakesare among their few knownpredators, making many morays (especially the larger species)apex predatorsin their ecosystems.
Reef-associatedroving coral groupers(Plectropomus pessuliferus) have been observed recruitinggiant moraysto help them hunt. The invitation to hunt is initiated by head-shaking. This style of hunting may allow morays toflush preyfrom niches not accessible to groupers.
The moray eel can be found in both fresh andsaltwaterhabitats. The vast majority of species are strictly marine, never entering freshwater. Of the few species known to live in freshwater, the most well-known isGymnothorax polyuranodon.
Within the marine realm, morays are found inshallow water nearshore areas,continental slopes,continental shelves,deep benthic habitats, andmesopelagic zonesof the ocean, and in bothtropicalandtemperateenvironments.Most species are found in tropical or subtropical environments, with only a few species (yellow moray) found in temperate ocean environments.
Although the moray eel can occupy both tropical oceans and temperate oceans, as well as both freshwater and saltwater, the majority of moray eels occupy warm saltwater environments, which containreefs.Within the tropical oceans and temperate oceans, the moray eel occupies shelters, such as dead patch reefs and coral rubble rocks, and less frequently occupies live coral reefs.
There are about 202 known species of moray eels, in 16 genera. These genera are in two sub-families, Muraeninae andUropterygiinae, which are distinguished by the location of their fins.In Muraeninae the dorsal fin is near thegill slitsand runs down the back of the eel, and the anal fin is behind the anus.In the Uropterygiinnae, both the dorsal and the anal fin are at the end of the tail.Though this distinction can be seen between the two sub-families, there are still many varieties of genera within Muraeninae and Uropterygiinae. Of these, the genusGymnothoraxis by far the broadest, including more than half of the total number of species.
The family Muraenidae comprises the following subfamiles and genera:
The moray eel's elongation is due to an increase in the number ofvertebrae, rather than a lengthening of each individual vertebra or a substantial decrease in body depth.Vertebrae have been added asynchronously between the pre-tail ("precaudal") and tail ("caudal") regions, unlike other groups of eels such as Ophicthids and Congrids.
Several moray species are popular among aquarium hobbyists for their hardiness, flexible diets, and disease resistance. The most commonly traded species are the snowflake, zebra and goldentail moray (Gymnothorax miliaris). Several other species are occasionally seen, but are more difficult to obtain and can command a steep price on the market.
Moray eels, particularly the giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) and yellow-edged moray (G. flavimarginatus), are known to accumulate high levels ofciguatoxins, unlike other reef fish;if consumed by humans,ciguatera fish poisoningmay result. Ciguatera is characterised by neurological, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular problems that may persist for days after eating tainted fish. In morays, the toxins are most concentrated in the liver.In an especially remarkable instance, 57 people in theNorthern Mariana Islandswere poisoned after eating just the head and half of a cooked yellow-edged moray.Thus, morays are not recommended for human consumption.