Fact Friday

Goatfish get their name because of the two barbels that hang from their chin that kind of look like a goat’s whiskers. The barbels are used to sift through the sand in search of tasty invertebrates to eat.  Check out our video of these busy hunters.

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Spotted Moray Eel

October 21, 2022

Spotted Moray Eel

How do you eat when you don’t have appendages? Snakes on land have an expandable jaw that allows them to move their jaws forward in order to eat their prey whole. Eels do not have this capability. Eels, like this spotted moray eel (Gymnothorax moringa), have two sets of jaws to help them feed. The oral jaws capture the prey, while the phalangeal jaws reach towards the oral jaws to pull the prey into its throat.

Photo Credit: Andrew Bruckner