#moray eel
Slippery eels
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Eel says hi.
(A drawing for muh boyfriend.)
Banana eel!
Garden eel lollipops (Instagram @qelffy)
Aren’t They Precious
These angelic images are of baby eels, also known as leptocephali. Figures A and F show moray eel leptocephali. Don’t they look just like mommy?
Leptocephali are almost totally see-through. They have colorless blood, and their bodies are composed mostly of a transparent, gelatinous material that serves as both energy storage and structural support (since they’re just so damn frail).
Despite their fragile appearance, leptocephali are actually pretty good swimmers. They exhibit the highly efficient anguilliform swimming style, suited for long-term, slow swimming.
Depending on the species, eels may remain in this larval stage for as long as 250 days, before undergoing metamorphosis.
After metamorphosis, they grow into juveniles, then into the fully-mature adult eels we know and love. *tear*
Image source: Miller. 2009.
Reference:Miller. 2009.
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Jaws Within Jaws
No, this is not concept art from HR Giger, creator of the xenomorphs(those iconic, phallic-headed terrors from the beloved Alien movie franchise).
This is an actual radiogram of a moray eel, showing the creature’s pharyngeal jaws—a second set of jaws inside the eel’s throat.
The eel uses its pharyngeal jaws for food transport. After the eel gets a hold of prey with its oral jaws, it latches onto the prey again with its pharyngeal jaws. The eel then extends its oral jaws forward, while simultaneously retracting its pharyngeal jaws, dragging the prey down its esophagus.
Image source: Mehta and Wainwright.2007.
Reference: Mehta and Wainwright. 2007.
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COME AT ME BRO
Some species of moray eel (such as this undulated moray, Gymnothorax undulatus) have evolved a resistance to the venom of one of the deadliest creatures in the sea, the banded sea krait.
These morays can withstand doses of sea krait venom that would slay lesser creatures (and men).
Morays can inflict grievous wounds on sea kraits, and large eels have been known to actually prey on the snakes—a case of the hunter becoming the hunted.
Those teeth are not just for show.
(Venom resistance or not, though, some guys are just plain unlucky.)
Image source: Andy Deitsch
Reference:Heatwole and Poran. 1995
Bonnet et al.2010.
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Redrew our weird twin OCs
I’ve done something for the mermay thing. look at this long boy.
