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Snowflake Morays: Everything You Need To Know About The Fish That Can Feed On Land Without Water

Snowflake morays (Echidna nebulosa) are interesting creatures with slithering snake-like appearance.

Snowflake Morays: Everything You Need To Know About The Fish That Can Feed On Land Without Water

Apart from being one of the most popular species of moray eels to keep in an aquarium, scientists have discovered after many years of efforts that snowflake morays can feed on land without water.

The beautifully coloured creatures are able to achieve this astounding feat thanks to their unique anatomy (an extra set of jaws in their throats), and unusual feeding mechanics. 

In a study published in The Journal of Experimental Biology, researchers at UC Santa Cruz explained how they were able to train snowflake morays to wriggle out of the water to grab a bite, proving they are quite adaptable when it comes to landing a meal. The snowflake morays were able to use their pharyngeal jaws to feed on dry land.

According to a statement from Rita Mehta, an ecologist at UC Santa Cruz's Institute of Marine Sciences, “Most fishes really need water to feed, but this is the first example of a fish that can feed on land without relying on water.” 

In the video below, a snowflake moray that was trained by the researchers can be seen slithering up a ramp onto a platform, grab a piece of fish, and swallow it before returning to the water.

Mehta said: “They feel safer in the water, so at first they would just grab the fish and go straight back into the water with it.”

All moray eels which include about 200 species have ‘pharyngeal jaws,’ a second set of mandibles nestled in their throat.

So, if you've ever wondered what snowflake morays are, why you should keep them in your aquarium, had questions about where to buy them, here's our expert guide. But first, a few quick, surprising facts about snowflake morays:

  • Snowflake morays bite their prey with their primary ‘oral’ jaws, then suck it down their gullets with their interior pharyngeal jaws, which pop out briefly.
  • These particular moray eels tend to eat hard-shelled prey like crabs without storing water in their mouths to swallow their meals like mudskippers.
  • Once the snowflake moray captures prey in its oral jaws, the pharyngeal jaws grab onto the prey again and move it further back into the esophagus.
  • Snowflake morays can grow as long as 40 inches.
  • Snowflake morays can utilize very different environments such as land and water for food resources.
  • Snowflake morays have excellent sense of smell which makes up for their poor eyesight.
  • Snowflake morays are carnivorous, and do most of their hunting at night. 
  • They feed mainly on small fish and crustaceans
  • They are named snowflake morays because of their mottled black, yellow and white coloring.
  • Snowflake morays are widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific region and are also found in the eastern Central Pacific, from Mexico to northern California.
  • They produce large volumes of highly nitrogenous wastes (ammonia).
  • The snowflake eel has been known to live to 15 years and older in captivity.

What Are Snowflake Morays?

Snowflake morays are species of marine fish belonging to the eels’ family (Muraenidae). They're very commonly kept saltwater eel that are hardy and well-suited to life within an aquarium.

They're more commonly referred to as clouded moray.

Why You Should Keep Snowflake Morays In Your Aquarium

There are many reasons you should keep snowflake morays in your aquarium. 
  • One of the reasons is that they're attractive
  • They're also relatively small and more peaceful than the other larger species of moray eel
  • They will eat smaller crustaceans such as shrimp but are relatively easy to wean onto a frozen diet.
  • They readily accept any meaty foods such as krill, shrimp, silversides and octopus meat.
  • They are capable of resisting some diseases

Where To Buy Snowflake Morays

If you're interested in keeping snowflake morays, you can buy them online from Petco, LiveAquaria, and ThatPetPlace.

 

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