Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Moray eel jaw anatomy 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.
Most fish species with pharyngeal teeth do not have extendable pharyngeal jaws. A particularly notable exception is the highly mobile pharyngeal jaw of the moray eels.These are possibly a response to their inability to swallow as other fishes do by creating a negative pressure in the mouth, perhaps induced by their restricted environmental niche (burrows) or in the air in the intertidal zone. [10]
English: Moray eels have two sets of jaws: 1) the oral jaws that capture prey; and 2) the pharyngeal jaws (similar to the jaws of the monster in the movie Alien) that advance into the mouth and move prey from the oral jaws to the oesophagus for swallowing.
The jaws of the Kidako moray, or moray eels in general, hold a dual-jaw system for feeding. [10] They primarily use the oral jaws to deliver prey into the esophagus with sharp and piercing teeth. The teeth are curved backward and point towards its throat to avoid prey coming back out of its mouth. [ 13 ]
The Indian mud moray eel, (Gymnothorax tile) is a moray eel found in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. [2] It was first named by Hamilton in 1822, [ 2 ] and is also commonly known as the freshwater moray or freshwater snowflake eel .
This moray eel was recently identified as a natural predator of the lionfish (Pterois miles) in its native habitat in the Red Sea. [9] A mature giant moray has few natural predators, although it may compete for food with reef-dwelling sharks. [10] Cleaner wrasses are commonly found in its presence, cleaning the interior of its mouth.
Gymnothorax melatremus, the blackspot moray, dirty yellow moray or dwarf moray, is a moray eel from the Indo-Pacific East Africa to the Marquesas and Mangaréva, north to the Hawaiian Islands, south to the Australs islands. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade but still being rare to find.
Moray eels are long slender fish with bulbous heads, rounded snouts and gradually tapering tails. The large mouth contains a single row of small pointed teeth in the lower jaw and several vomerine teeth on the roof of the mouth. The dorsal fin extends continuously from just behind the head along the back to round the tail, where it continues as ...