Fact Friday

Maori wrasse can grow to be over 6 feet long and 400 pounds. One of the biggest reef fish in the world, they have many names, including Napoleon or humphead wrasse.

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Spotted Moray Eel

December 29, 2023

Spotted Moray Eel

How do you eat when you don’t have appendages? Snakes on land have an expandable jaw that allows them to move their jaws forward in order to eat their prey whole. Eels do not have this capability. Eels, like this spotted moray eel (Gymnothorax moringa), have two sets of jaws to help them feed. The oral jaws capture the prey, while the phalangeal jaws reach towards the oral jaws to pull the prey into its throat.

Photo Credit: Andrew Bruckner