The Fangtooth Moray Eel

selim12 December 26, 2023 0 Comments

The fangtooth moray (Enchelycore anatina) sometimes also known as tiger moray or bird-eye conger is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae. It’s like the shape of a snake undersea.

Scientific Name

Habitat

Diet

Enchelycore anatina

Atlantic Ocean

smaller fish

Animal Type

Eels

Size

120 centimeters

Depth

Surface to 60 meters.

Table of Contents

Who Discovered The Fangtooth Moray Eel?

the tiger moray(as commonly named) was discovered back in 1838 by the British priest and naturalist Richard Thomas Lowe (1802-1874) on the sandy seafloor.

Where Do They Live:

They are found in warmer parts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Canary Islands, Madeira, and various other islands. It entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic and is now found occasionally in the eastern Basin, from Levantine waters, and off Turkey, Greece, Croatia, and Sicily. They mainly inhabit rocky bottoms. The temperature range is about 15-28 °C in coral reefs.

Fangtooth Moray Eel Appearance and Size:

They have long yellow heads filled with elongated jaws having glasslike teeth. With dark brown color, The dorsal and anal fins are covered with thick skin. They can reach 120 centimeters in length(from head to tail). They can weigh up to 30 pounds. They have strong teeth made of dentin as they are useful in catching and holding onto the prey.

Diet:

They feed on benthic fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans.

LifeSpan And Behaviour Of Fangtooth Moray Eel:

They spend most of their time hiding behind rocks waiting for prey, and when the moment comes, they strike the victim and swallow it with their fang-like teeth. They can live from 10-40 years.

Reproduction & LifeCycle:

Fangtooth Moray releases their eggs underwater, to be fertilized by clouds of expelled sperm. Juveniles spend much of their lifecycle near rocky habitats.

Fangtooth Moray Eel Teeth:

The sharpest part of this fish is its teeth: sharp like a needle and precise like a knife. The outer teeth are sharper than the inner ones, this is essential for a diet of crustaceans.

Fangtooth Moray Eel Cool Facts:

-They are sometimes called Tiger Moray Eel because of the yellow and black coloration.

-Shrimp is often found in the fangtooth moray mouth, it cleans the parasites and dirt (a cleaning mechanism ).

This fangtooth Moray eel is a snake of the ocean with sharp fangs and a unique shape, it’s considered one of the most stealth predators of the sea!