Moray Eels Catch Prey on Land

On this week's news update…

Observing Moray Eel Jaws

Observing moray eel jaws…

Collecting Ice Cores

Collecting ice cores…

Combating Sea Snot

And combating sea snot!

First up…

Moray eels are snake-like fish found all over the world, in shallow parts of the sea.

Moray eels

They hide among rocks and coral, and feast on passing prey, such as small fish and squid. Most fish swallow their prey by sucking in water, but moray eels can also hunt on dry land.

So how do they do it? They have not one, but two, sets of jaws! The eels quickly thrust forward to catch their prey – so quickly, in fact, that it’s not easy to see how their double jaws work.

But now, scientists have observed moray eels in a controlled setting.

They placed a piece of squid just out of the water, and filmed an eel as it moved forward to grab it. The video reveals that the eel first uses its front jaw to clamp down on the squid, and then moves its second jaw up its throat, to drag the squid down toward its stomach.

It’s this second jaw that allows moray eels to feed in and out of the water!

Up next…

The Earth's ice is rapidly disappearing. Climate change is causing ice sheets to collapse, and glaciers to melt.

Glaciers

Glaciers are slow-moving rivers of ice. They form over thousands of years, as layers of ice and snow gradually build up to create huge sheets. Now, while the glaciers are still there, scientists around the world are busy taking samples from them. By drilling deep into the glaciers, the scientists can collect cylinders of ice called 'ice cores’.

Ice cores

The cores contain ice that formed over a long period of time, and they also hold tiny pockets of air that became trapped when the ice first froze. By analyzing the trapped air, scientists can find out what the Earth's atmosphere was like when the ice formed, hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

Understanding the history of the Earth's climate can help scientists to predict how it might change in the future, enabling us to tackle climate change more effectively, and to limit further melting of our glaciers.

And finally…

Turkey

Turkey is a country located on the Mediterranean Sea.

Sea snot

The thick gray slime is covering huge areas of water, disrupting the marine ecosystem, and putting off swimmers.

The slime isn't really snot. It's a waste product created by a type of algae. In small amounts, it’s not a problem, but due to hot weather, and pollution running into the sea, the algae are producing much more snot than usual.

Machines have now been brought in to remove the slimy substance, but scientists have warned that, unless pollution along the coastline is reduced, the snot could return.

If you go swimming this summer, let's hope you don't encounter any sea snot!

That's all for this week – we'll see you after the summer break!