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moray
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Moray eel (Gymnothorax javanicus). Illustration showing an adult moray eel, Gymnothorax (family Muraenidae), with a long, greenish, snake-like body above a transparent, leaf-shaped larval stage. Illustration showing adult and larval forms of various eel species, including Nemichthys, Cyema, Anguilla, Gymnothorax, and Conger, with adults on the left and their transparent, leaf-shaped larvae on the right.
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Moray eel (Gymnothorax javanicus).
Moray eel (Gymnothorax javanicus).

moray

eel
Also known as: Muraenidae, moray eel
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History

moray, any of 80 or more species of eels of the family Muraenidae. Moray eels occur in all tropical and subtropical seas, where they live in shallow water among reefs and rocks and hide in crevices. They differ from other eels in having small rounded gill openings and in generally lacking pectoral fins. Their skin is thick, smooth, and scaleless, while the mouth is wide and the jaws are equipped with strong, sharp teeth, which...

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