Page 17 - Super Shark Encyclopedia
P. 17
STATS AND FACTS 1 Protracting
13 TIME TO SWALLOW PREY 1.25 sec muscle contracts
to pull throat
YEARS 0.3 sec (front jaws (prey reaches jaws forward
grab prey)
food pipe)
LIFESPAN sec 0.5 1 1.5 Second set of jaws
0.75 sec (throat 90 ready at back of throat
jaws grab prey) USUAL NUMBER OF TEETH
The moray eel is not WEIGHT
a fast swimmer but it 66 lbs/30 kg (max. weight) 2
makes up for this with
lb 20 40 60 80
its swift double-jawed Throat jaws
bite, completed in shoot forwards
kg 10 20 30 40
just over a second. to grab prey
3
Upper retracting muscle
pulls second set of jaws Front set of jaws Upper retracting
back into throat takes the first bite muscle contracts
to pull second set
of jaws back
GRABBED BY THE THROAT
Most kinds of fish suck prey into their mouth
and then use their throat jaws to crush their
victim. Moray eels have poor suction, so they
project their throat jaws—complete with
teeth—forward to grab and swallow their prey.
Second set of jaws at back
of throat shoot out to take
second bite
Fish is unable
to escape from
powerful jaws
AMAZING ANATOMY
Fish is pulled into
the food pipe when
the jaws retract
FISHING FOR FAVORS
Morays hunt among rocks, but groupers
Lower retracting muscle
helps pull second set (a type of predatory fish) hunt around
of jaws back the reef too. By cooperating, they scare
prey into each other’s territory. Both eat so
quickly they never squabble over food. 15
