Page 151 - Caribbean Reef Life Demo

GREEN MORAY
(Gymnothorax funebris) < 2.5 m / 8 ft
The largest of the morays. Uniformly dark green body with no distincti e mar in s. ound under led es in the da time.
reen Morays are the largest eels in the Caribbean and can live for up to 30 years. They are actually brown, but their skin has a protective layer of toxic mucus that gives them their distinctive color. As well as the sharp teeth on both jaws, they have longer teeth on the roofs of their mouths that point backwards to keep their prey from escaping. Down in their throats they have a second set of pharyngeal jaws that helps to pull prey in. They are constantly opening and closing their jaws, giving them a menacing appearance, but this is only to bring fresh seawater down to an internal gill chamber.
Most eels are nocturnal hunters, with a highly developed sense of smell and elongated nostrils to help them sniff out their prey at night. Their long bodies allow them to enter cracks and crevices in the reef to hunt. They have no pectoral ns or bony gill covers that would get in the way. Some eel species are even able to swim under the sand. When trying to pull prey out of a hole, they can wrap their bodies around the reef for extra pull. A single long dorsal n allows them to swim rapidly in a wave-like motion.
374