This entry was posted on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 2:09 pm and is filed under About, Adventure Cruises, Information, Sites, Snorkeling, Snuba. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Photo Courtesy Dr. Jack Randall, Fishbase.org
According to the experts, the moray eel family is one of 15 true eel families. Often we are asked about sea snakes existing in Hawaii. There are no resident sea snakes, but eels are plentiful and a very amazing animal to observe. They have a very elongate body with no pelvic fins, pectoral fins, and no scales. They also have a very large mouth with impressive looking teeth. Some teeth are flat, molariform, some are fang-like and extremely sharp. The species with canine type teeth, according to the experts, feed on mainly reef fish and octopus. Those with flatter teeth are crushers, preferring crabs, lobsters and other crustaceans. Another interesting tidbit is that they can, and have been, tamed by divers, who will feed them hoping the animal will allow itself to be petted for the photo opportunity. Probably not the wisest move as divers have been bitten and their teeth have many bacteria, which could be very dangerous. The Whitemargin Moray may secrete a venom when it bites, but even more amazing to this author is the Yellowmouth Moray, who secretes a skin toxin! Nature continues to fascinate!!
Morays have varied color patterns depending on the individual. The one in the photo above is called Zebra Moray, and they are very common. Since their eyesight is not stellar, they peer our of their homes cautiously, awaiting the opportunity to grab a meal. With 38 known species of morays in Hawaii, snorkelers, divers, and water enthusiasts could very well find one, but remember to keep your distance. This author had an interesting experience diving once. We had slowly traveled up a peninsula filled with life and peered into different areas hoping to find a good photographic subject. After our ascent we slowly traveled down the backside, some traveling backwards but I did not. There was a little surge and the current pushed me nearly touching the rocks. A moray bolted out of his hiding place and nearly touched my tank. My son grabbed my hand and pulled me just out of reach. Once the eel felt it was no longer threatened, it slowly went back down. That was a wonderful experience I will not forget.
Another really interesting researcher’s fact is that many morays are hermaphroditic. That is, they start mature life as males and later change sex to females. According to research, a few are synchronous hermaphrodites (male & female at the same time). Boy, that would certainly take the decision making to a higher level!
Coming to Hawaii? Fear snakes? No worries! The graceful and colorful eels (called puhi, in Hawaiian) can really add to your experience in the water. Let’s get wet!!
