A Closer Look at Morays: teacher key

Moray Eels, grade 11 edition, written for 11th grade. How a moray eel's long body, senses, teeth and two sets of jaws work, and what scientists measured to find out.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What do the extra tail vertebrae give morays enough length to do?
   • Tie an overhand knot with the body and use it as an anchor (answer)
   • Swim faster than groupers
   • Breathe through their gills
2. How did researchers see the throat jaws work?
   • They counted teeth
   • They measured eggs
   • They took X-rays of eels eating dead goldfish (answer)
3. What happened to bite force as California morays grew?
   • It got smaller
   • It grew faster than head size (answer)
   • It stayed the same
4. What did the researchers conclude about giant morays and groupers?
   • Groupers hunt only at night
   • Giant morays broaden their hunting activity to daylight hours because of their interactions with groupers (answer)
   • Giant morays stop hunting
5. What does the word 'durophagy' describe?
   • A kind of larva
   • A diet mainly of hard-shelled prey (answer)
   • A way of swimming

Words

• crevice: narrow crack
• suction: pulling force
• larva: young form
• durophagy: shell-eating