Moray Eel

Short presentation covering the basics of the Moray Eel.

1. Moray Eel Connor Helmendach Honors Bio 3A

2. What do they look like? (1 & 2) 11-400 cm in length Up to 30 lbs Can be grey, black, white, brown, orange, yellow, green, blue, or several colors Moray Eels have a long dorsal fin from head to tail Two sets of sharp teeth that are pointed backwards

3. Where are they? (1) Tropical and sub-tropical regions All types of waters, but mainly salt water Live in coral reefs, caves, and rock crevices deep in the sea

4. Are they in danger? (1) With over 200 species of Moray Eels, there is no concern of endangerment http://a-z-animals.com/animals/moray-eel/

5. What’s for dinner? (4) Zoo – small fish, krill, squid Wild – fish, crustaceans, worms, other scavenged food

6. How do they reproduce? (2) Moray Eels breed during spring and summer months Male and female wrap their bodies together and the eggs are released The sperm fertilizes the eggs and the eggs will float Egg develops into a larva and larva matures into an eel

7. How long will they be around? (1) The lifespan of a Moray Eel can range from 10 to 30 years

8. What’s cool about them? (2) Moray Eels are often mistaken as snakes, but are in fact fish They keep their mouths open to circulate water towards their gills A protective mucus (sometimes containing toxins) covers their bodies

9. What is their taxonomy? (1) Order – Anguilliformes Family – Muraenidae Genus – Gymnothorax Species – Gymnothorax funebris

10. Where did they come from? (3) Fossils date back to around 41-60 million years ago Moray Eels have been in their current form sometime between 5-23 million years

11. http://news.yale.edu/2012/08/06/yale-study-reveals-new-family-tree-ray-finned-fish

12. Works Cited "Moray Eel." A-z Animals . N.p ., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. "Moray Eel Facts." Softschools . N.p ., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. Reece, Joshua. " Phylogenetics and Phylogeography of Moray Eels ( Muraenidae )." Open Scholarship . Washington University, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. "Zebra Moray Eel." Fort Wayne Children's Zoo . Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.