Sung to the tune of Dean Martin's "That's amore" (after a few Guiness)
There's a thing on the reef, with big shiny white teeth - it's a Moray
If he's big and he's mean, and he's slimy and green - it's a Moray
Put your hand in the crack and you won't get it back - It's a Moray
When you're movin' your hands, best take care where they land - Watch for Morays
When some teeth catch your eye. and an eel wriggles by - It's a Moray
when something, bites your fin, and throws off your trim - It's a Moray
Keep your fingers in tight and you won't have a fright - It's a Moray
When you're moving by feel and then up pops the eel - It's a Moray
When an eel bites your thigh, as you're just swimming by - It's a Moray
When you scream, and you beg, but it still bites your leg - It's a Moray
Watch you don't get a shark, When you search, after dark - for amore
When you're out of your depth, and you run short of breath - that's amore air
When he's fanning his gills, Better head for the hills - It's a Moray
When your light, in the night, gets swallowed out of sight, - It's a Moray
When your horse munches straw, And the bales total four - That's some more hay.When you're down and it's dark, Over there - that a shark?, No - It's a Moray
When you ace your last test, Like you did all the rest - That's some more "A"s! When your boat comes home fine, And you tie up her line - That's a moor, eh?
When you've had quite enough, Of this daft rhyming stuff, that's "no more!", eh?
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Article before the song on NPR;
Scientists in California have reported that moray eels have a set of teeth within a second set of jaws, called the pharyngeal jaws, that help them capture their prey.
Once the moray eel secures its prey with its first set of jaws, the pharyngeal jaws reach up from its throat, grabbing and pulling the prey down through its esophagus.
Rita Mehta is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California Davis who studies the evolution of diversity in eel feeding behavior.
Mehta used a slow-motion video camera to record a moray feeding, and she saw the pharyngeal jaws peek forward.
When Mehta examined the moray's jaws, she was surprised by their range of motion.
"What we discovered is that the pharyngeal jaws of moray's have the greatest mobility of any pharyngeal jaws ever documented," Mehta says.
Mark Westneat is curator of zoology at the Field Museum in Chicago. He also studies fish feeding behaviors and he says it's common for fish to have a pharyngeal jaw when they lack teeth used for grinding food.
But Westneat says the moray eel's pharyngeal jaw is somewhat different.
"Having a jaw in your throat that has long, recurved, canine teeth — and can actually shoot out of your throat into your mouth, grab a fish or something, and pull it down the throat — is highly unusual," he says.
But which set of teeth should be feared the most?
"Oh, man, that's tough, the front ones are really long and sharp, too," Mehta says. "I'd be afraid of both."
Mehta reports her findings in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
Beth did you forget to give Bill his medication today?!
By the way, now I hear that there actually some sharks in the lagoon where I so casually snorkel and kayak; "but they're only small ones, maybe 4 feet"
and in case you want to see a moray close up
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/485689/moray_attack/
Loved the song. Sounds like you're staring to go a little stir crazy. Just don't go biting sharks.
http://static2.bareka.com/photos/medium/1960857/wake-island-sign.jpg
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