Magnificent Morays
Found in shallow, tropical waters around the world, morays are a docile fish that are sometimes misunderstood.
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Slime but no Scales
Morays are fish, but instead of scales they have a mucus coating that inhibits infection and allows them to dart around reefs without damage. Touching a moray could disturb this protective slime and put the eel, as well as your fingers, in unnecessary danger.
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Slime Color Changer
This mucus can actually affect the color of some species. For instance, green morays are actually brown, but their yellow slime coating makes them look green.
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Night Moves
Nocturnal predators, morays use their sense of smell to hunt crustaceans, octopus, squid, and other fish. A few species are active during the day, but it's still pretty rare to see one free-swimming during daylight hours.
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To and Fro
If you thought seeing a free-swimming moray was cool, just wait until you see one swimming backwards - a feat few fish other than the moray can achieve.
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Salt and Fresh
Most are found in saltwater, but there are a few species that tolerate brackish areas, and a couple that live in freshwater. They've been found thousands of feet deep, but generally they favor shallower reefs.
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Nuclear Hunting
Sometimes morays hunt in groups, but not with other eels. They prefer the company of other fish, such as groupers, to employ some cooperative, mutually beneficial hunting tactics.
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Breath and Teeth
Morays must open and close their mouths to breathe, which gives us a good look at those teeth and makes them seem more menacing than they actually are.
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Blind Snapping - but Rarely
They'll only attack when threatened and they can't actually see all that well. So next time you encounter them, keep those fingers out of their hiding spots and you'll have nothing to worry about.
