Strange Moray Eel Physiology Is Discovered

September 11, 2007

Release from: United Press International

DAVIS, Calif.- U.S. biologists have discovered moray eels have a science fiction-like method of eating, using two sets of jaws to seize and then swallow prey.

University of California-Davis scientists discovered moray eels, after seizing prey in their jaws, use a second set of jaws in their throat to reach into their mouth, grab the food and carry it back to the esophagus for swallowing.

"This is really an amazing innovation for feeding behavior for fishes in general," said Rita Mehta, a University of California-Davis postdoctoral researcher. She said the finding reflects the amazing diversity possible among living things, even in something as fundamental as feeding,

Mehta used a high-speed digital camera to film eels feeding in the laboratory, capturing the rapid movement of the secondary pharyngeal jaws. She also used X-ray and other imaging equipment to determine how the jaws move.

The research by Mehta and Professor Peter Wainwright appears in the Sept. 6 issue of the journal Nature.