Meet The Giant Hunter Of The Reef
By: EjazUlHaqBhat
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The giant moray eel is the largest of all morays, an apex ambush predator that dwells in tropical reefs from the Red Sea to the Pacific
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It can grow to an impressive 3 metres in length and weigh over 30 kg
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Its body is brownish, with dark brown spots, particularly prominent behind the head where they create a leopard-like appearance
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A carnivorous apex predator, it feeds on reef fish, octopuses and crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters
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Using its keen sense of smell, the moray hunts mostly at night, stalking prey in the labyrinthine reef
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When close enough, it lunges with startling speed and seizes its target in a bone-crunching bite
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Like other morays, it possesses a remarkable adaptation: a set of pharyngeal jaws
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These secondary jaws, located in the throat, shoot forward into the mouth to grip and pull prey backwards into the oesophagus
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