Difference between revisions of "Moray eel"
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JamesCrook (talk | contribs) (Updated (using text adapted from wikicommons, describing the jaws image).) |
JamesCrook (talk | contribs) (clarify.) |
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==Pharyngeal Jaws== | ==Pharyngeal Jaws== | ||
| − | [[File:Pharyngeal jaws of moray eels.svg|thumb|right|270px|Moray eel jaw anatomy|alt=Two diagrams of head and spine, one showing the pharyngeal jaw at rest; the other showing the jaws extended into the mouth]] Moray eels have two sets of jaws: 1) the oral jaws that capture prey; and 2) the pharyngeal jaws (similar to the jaws of the monster in the movie Alien) that launch into the mouth and pull prey from the oral jaws | + | [[File:Pharyngeal jaws of moray eels.svg|thumb|right|270px|Moray eel jaw anatomy|alt=Two diagrams of head and spine, one showing the pharyngeal jaw at rest; the other showing the jaws extended into the mouth]] Moray eels have two sets of jaws: 1) the oral jaws that capture prey; and 2) the pharyngeal jaws (similar to the jaws of the monster in the movie Alien) that launch into the mouth and pull prey from the oral jaws back into the oesophagus for swallowing. Moray eels are the only known animals that use pharyngeal jaws to actively capture and restrain prey in this way.<ref name="Mehta2007">{{cite journal | vauthors = Mehta RS, Wainwright PC | title = Raptorial jaws in the throat help moray eels swallow large prey | journal = Nature | volume = 449 | issue = 7158 | pages = 79–82 | date = September 2007 | pmid = 17805293 | doi = 10.1038/nature06062 | bibcode = 2007Natur.449...79M | s2cid = 4384411 | authorlink = Rita Mehtal }}</ref><ref name="Nature20070905">{{cite journal|url=http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070903/full/070903-11.html|title=Eels imitate alien: Fearsome fish have protruding jaws in their throats to grab prey.|last=Hopkin|first=Michael|authorlink=Michael Hopkin|date=2007-09-05|journal=Nature News|doi=10.1038/news070903-11|s2cid=85118599|access-date=2007-09-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=109985&org=NSF|title=Moray Eels Are Uniquely Equipped to Pack Big Prey Into Their Narrow Bodies - NSF - National Science Foundation|publisher=|access-date=11 December 2016}}</ref> |
Revision as of 15:07, 3 September 2020
Moray eels are a diverse group of eels, the one shown here found in the Red Sea.
Pharyngeal Jaws
Moray eels have two sets of jaws: 1) the oral jaws that capture prey; and 2) the pharyngeal jaws (similar to the jaws of the monster in the movie Alien) that launch into the mouth and pull prey from the oral jaws back into the oesophagus for swallowing. Moray eels are the only known animals that use pharyngeal jaws to actively capture and restrain prey in this way.[1][2][3]
