![]() | ![]() Moray Eels
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Often seen with their heads poking out of
a hole in the reef, they are not usually
aggressive and do not present a danger
to divers as long as they are left alone.
Some morays are active (swimming
about the reef) during the day, while others
are nocturnal in their habits, and all
morays are carnivores, feeding on a variety
of fishes, cephalopods (mainly octopus)
and crustaceans. They secrete a
protective mucus over their scaleless
skin which contains a toxin in some species.
Their small circular gills, located Hand-feeding moray eels is risky business and not recommended. They are apt to attack humans only when disturbed, but then they can be quite vicious. To prevent contact and possible severe injury keep hands out of those rocky areas, holes and crevices. If you must, use a stick to probe. Injuries can result in bleeding, severe muscle damage and chipped bones. Stop any bleeding, clean wounds thoroughly and get medical help to guard against infection. If you are fishing be careful, as dead fish, blood or bait will bring them out of their holes. Frequently lobsters will be in the same hole as the eel, in this case at least two of the lobster’s antennae (feelers) will be directed backward to keep check of the eel. Studies of the reproduction of morays have revealed two types of hermaphroditism: most species appear to be protandrous (sequential) hermaphrodites that become mature as males and then later in life change to females; but some species are synchronous (simultaneously male and female) hermaphrodites, with functional ovaries and testes at the same time. The life cycle of the eels is a process where eels hatch from eggs that the female lays. A newly-hatched egg called the larva is transparent, gelatinous, leafshaped, and free-floating. As the larva grows and is carried along by ocean currents, its body changes shape (it metamorphoses) into a tiny, transparent, cylindrical- shaped eel (called a glass eel). Click here to return to the main page for Caribbean Critters
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