Page 16 - Super Shark Encyclopedia
P. 16

POP-OUT JAWS






             GIANT MORAY EEL








          The moray eel waits patiently in the darkness of its rocky lair until a fish passes
          by. Then it strikes in an instant, but in a way that is not like any other reef-dwelling
          animal. First, its sharp-toothed mouth grabs the prey. Then, a second set of jaws                   Long spine gives the
                                                                                                               body of a moray eel
          shoots forward from the back of its throat to pull the fish into its food pipe.                        snakelike flexibility




                                                        Double-jawed ambush
             AT A GLANCE                                Moray eels can’t chase prey far, so they
                                                        rely on their two sets of snapping jaws
                                                        to make sure a struggling fish never
                                                        escapes their grasp.









           •  SIZE  Up to 9¾ ft (3 m)
           •  HABITAT  Tropical reefs, especially near steep
              drop-offs
           •  LOCATION  Red Sea, East Africa, Southeast
              Asia, Australasia, and the western
              Pacific Ocean
           •  DIET  Mainly fish, but sometimes
              shrimp and crabs



          Bony rods support
             the long dorsal
           fin running down
                 the back
























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