Moray Eels are Friendly Fish!

Moray eels have dorsal fin that runs along their back and joins with the caudal and anal fins giving them a snake-like appearance. They have camouflaged bodies to help them hide in crevices in rocks and reefs, in Mallorca they are usually a blue/grey colour with yellow markings whereas in other parts of the world they can be much paler in colour with spots and patterns.

Due to their small eyes and poor hearing, moray eels rely on their accute sense of smell to catch their prey. They are noctural hunters and have very wide jaws with sharp teeth for feeding.

Unlike most fish, who create negative pressure by opening their jaws and tilting their heads to swallow prey, moray eels rely more on a second set of jaws in their throat which contain sharp teeth.

Morays secrete a protective mucus to cover their smooth scaleless skin. They are carnivorous feeding mainly on other fish, molluska and crustations. Their predators include groupers, barracuda and other morays.

Moray eels are quite shy and only attack humans in self-defence, they would much rather flee than fight. They can however inflict a really nasty bite because some of their teeth are covered with bacteria, not poison, that may infect the wound.

Morays can be dangerous when eaten if that eel has eaten algae (or they fish have digested has eaten algae) as they will cause ciguatera fish poisoning -so be careful when eating moray eels!!

Amazing Fact

A study in 2006 showed the discovery of interspecies cooperative hunting with moray eels; some species of grouper appeared to recruit morays to aid them while hunting for food. This is the first discovery of fish co-operation in general.