SAM: OH, HI GUYS!
I’M SAM, AND I’M LOOKING FOR A CREATURE THAT’S
PRETTY HARD TO SPOT IN THE DAY BUT EASY TO FIND AT NIGHT.
LET’S PLAY A LITTLE GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK
AND GO FIND THIS GREEN MORAY EEL!
♪ [THEME MUSIC PLAYING] ♪
I’M HERE AT THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM
IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,
AND I CAN’T WAIT TO FIND THE GREEN MORAY EEL!
BUT FIRST,
WHOA, AH!
LET’S GET SUITED UP!
MY DIVE BUDDY, HOLLY TELLS ME,
WE’RE GOING TO FIND NOT ONE BUT TWO
GREEN MORAY EELS, OSCAR AND FELIX.
TIME TO PLAY “HIDE-N-SEEK” WITH THIS GREEN MORAY EEL.
LET’S GO!
WOW, IT’S AMAZING DOWN HERE.
LOOK AT ALL THE FISH!
THAT’S A GIANT HOGFISH!
AND THIS LITTLE GUY STARING AT ME IS THE
ATLANTIC BIG EYE FISH.
I SEE WHY THEY GOT THEIR NAME!
I’M GETTING LOTS OF FISH LOVE DOWN HERE,
BUT I DON’T SEE THE MORAY EELS YET.
THEY MUST BE HIDING.
♪ ♪
WAIT, LOOK HOLLY FOUND ONE!
IT’S OSCAR!
HOLLY’S GOING TO FEED HIM SOME SQUID SO WE
CAN TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.
WOW, HE’S MASSIVE!
LOOK AT HOW HE OPENS AND CLOSES HIS MOUTH,
HE’S EATING RIGHT OUT OF THE BAG.
ONCE HE’S DONE EATING, HE HEADS BACK TO HIS HIDING SPOT.
NOW WE SEE HIM, NOW WE DON’T.
BYE OSCAR!
HOLLY, THAT WAS SO COOL!
HOLLY: IT WAS, IT WAS REALLY FUN.
SAM: IT WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS I’VE EVER
SEEN IN MY LIFE.
BEING SO CLOSE TO THAT EEL AND SEEING ALL THOSE
FISH WAS SO EXCITING!
THERE’S SO MUCH MORE I WANT TO KNOW.
WHOO!
HOLLY: NICE DIVE.
SAM: NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE AWESOME CREATURES
WE SAW DOWN THERE!
HOLLY: SO THE GREEN MORAY.
SAM: SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FELIX AND OSCAR?
HOLLY: FELIX IS THE SMALLER OF THE TWO AND OSCAR IS THE
LARGER AND OLDER OF THE TWO.
THE EYES ON OSCAR ARE ALSO MORE CLOUDY,
THE ANIMAL HAS CATARACTS, SO THEY LOOK A BIT CLOUDY.
SAM: OKAY, OSCAR IS SIGNIFICANTLY BIGGER THAN FELIX.
HOLLY: YES, OSCAR COULD PROBABLY,
I’M ABOUT 5’6″ IN HEIGHT, HE’S PROBABLY AT LEAST
FIVE FEET IN LENGTH.
SAM: THAT’S REALLY BIG.
SO, WHAT DO THEY TEND TO USUALLY EAT?
WHEN DO THEY EAT AND WHAT DO THEY LIKE TO EAT?
HOLLY: THEY ARE USUALLY NOCTURNAL ANIMALS,
WHICH MEANS THAT THEY’RE NIGHT EATERS.
SO MORAYS LIKE TO HUNT AT NIGHT AND THEY USE MORE OF
THEIR SENSE OF SMELL.
THEY ALSO EAT THINGS LIKE SQUID AND YOUR OCTOPUS.
SAM: THERE IS SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT I KNOW EELS
DO, WHICH ISN’T VERY COMMON.
BUT WHEN THEY HUNT.
WHAT DO THEY DO WITH THEIR BODIES THAT IS SO SPECTACULAR?
HOLLY: OKAY SO, MORAYS WILL ACTUALLY TIE THEMSELVES
IN A KNOT.
SAM: A REAL KNOT?
HOLLY: LIKE A REAL KNOT.
THEY’LL LOOP THEMSELVES AND WHEN IT UNKNOTS THAT BACK
PRESSURE OF VACUUM THAT GRABS THE ANIMAL HELPS
IT TO SUCK IT IN AGAIN.
IT’S ALMOST LIKE ITS WAY OF CREATING THAT.
SAM: TO SECURING THE FOOD.
HOLLY: YES.
OFTENTIMES DURING THE DAY,
YOU’LL SEE MORAYS SITTING IN HOLES OR CREVICES,
AND THEY’LL BE SLOWLY OPENING THEIR MOUTH.
SO THIS MOTION IS HOW THEY ACTUALLY BREATHE.
FISH SWIM AROUND, WHEREAS A MORAY TENDS TO
LIE AT THE BOTTOM.
A MORAY IS NOT MOVING.
THEY’RE MUCH MORE SEDENTARY.
SAM: OKAY.
HOLLY: SEDENTARY MEANS MORE RELAXED,
TENDS TO SIT AT THE BOTTOM.
SAM: OKAY, OKAY.
THEY HAD THESE LITTLE RED-ORANGE PHALANGES
COMING OUT OF THEM.
HOLLY: FILAMENTS ACTUALLY HELP EXTRACT THE OXYGEN
FROM THE WATER.
SO ALL THE ANIMALS IN THE EXHIBITS HERE AND THE OCEAN
NEED OXYGEN TO BREATHE.
SAM: OKAY HOLLY, TRICK QUESTION.
WHAT COLOR ARE GREEN MORAY EELS?
HOLLY: SO GREEN MORAYS ARE ACTUALLY BROWN.
THEY HAVE A YELLOW MUCUS OVER THEM,
AND THE COMBINATION OF THOSE TWO COLORS GIVE
YOU THE GREEN EFFECT.
SAM: OKAY, GUYS.
WHAT DID WE LEARN TODAY ABOUT THE GREEN MORAY EEL?
OH, I REMEMBER, WE KNOW THAT EELS LIKE TO OPEN
AND CLOSE THEIR MOUTHS TO BREATHE.
ANOTHER COOL THING IS THAT THEY HIDE IN CAVES,
SO IT’S REALLY FUN TO GO IN THERE AND TRY
AND SEARCH FOR THEM.
I GUESS WE DID FIND THE GREEN MORAY EEL OR SHOULD I SAY,
BROWN MORAY EEL?
IT’S BEEN FUN, SEE YA NEXT TIME!
