Feb 4, 2008

Mean, Mean, Mean

A lot of creatures get an undeserved bad rap. This blog is, in large part, devoted to them. But make no mistake: the green moray eel is exactly what he looks like. And it's not pretty.

They are mean, mean mean, and I speak from personal experience. Once while scuba diving I came across a dead eel floating to and fro in the swells on a reef. No fish was bothering even to peck at it. They're so mean even in death they are given a wide berth.

That same diving trip also involved an encounter with a mermaid making a deal with the sea witch, and helping out a clown fish and a blue tang who were looking for someone named Nemo. But that's for another post.

Photo source: Blue Lotus

7 comments:

BillyWitchDoctor said...

Mean? Naw. I remember reading a diver's story in Reader's Digest years ago about a big ugly moray he befriended, dropping by regularly to hand-feed it. (Unfortunately, the story ended exactly as one comes to expect these days; the moray got too comfortable around humans and some dips**t weekender Great White Hunter promptly speared it.)

Anonymous said...

When he was 3 years and 4 months old, I took my nephew to my local nature science center, and at one of the aquarium exhibits, we both had our noses right against the glass looking for something when a moray eel swam OUT OF NOWHERE and scared the bejesus out of both of us. It's just about his first memory so I'm the aunt who introduced him to ugliness. Yea?

Christina Acker said...

Ohhhh my little poopsies....
He does look mean.

Unknown said...

Aren't these the beasts with the extra set of alien like jaws down in their throats? Seriously, it was in Science or Nature and it quadrupled the ugly! Or maybe it was a quantum.
Love, love, love your site! You are a great writer and I laugh out loud! Perfect tone.

Anonymous said...

Awwww billywitchdoctor. What a sad story :(
Poor little eel. I thought you were gonna say that someone got bit, not that someone speared the poor thing.
Even if they are ugly and mean, they don't deserve that for no reason!

Raging Wombat said...

Thanks, MJR.

Jack Ruttan said...

Get off my lawn, you kids!