Moray Eel Bites Off Diver's Thumb

[RoyN]

:11: Well, I'll be sure not to feed animals!

 

[Sam Miller III]

The moray's teeth structure does not have the ability to bite as a shark or even a dog. It's mouth consists of a series of teeth on the margin and a series of teeth in a row down the middle of the mouth as a holding mechanism.

I have been bit on numerous occasions by a Moray while searching for lobsters off SoCal. Each time they have bit and released-with a certain amount of minor flesh ripping.

The only time I encoutered and after effect of the bite was when one or more of the moray's enbeded teeth broke off under my skin. It immediatly encapulated and with in a short time only a small punchure scar was visable.

They are to be respected but certainly not feared.

I some how question the referenced attack..

Cheers from California --where it all began--many years ago,

sdm

 

[drbill]

I couldn't see the video since I need yet another upgrade to my browser to view it (no thanks).

However, if the morays in Thailand (I can't remember from my diving there) are as blind as ours, they can't clearly see and distinguish a hand from the food itself. I never feed marine life (well, except kelp blades to abalone on occasion), especially if it has sharp teeth!

 

[PARADISE HUNTER]

Those sausages looked just like the guy's fingers. No wonder!

Memo to self: Don't feed moray eels! O.K. I got it.

Ouch!!!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Let's see, feeding a moray hot dogs and instead of stopping after one or two he keeps doing it. Moray is surrounded by divers and loses all fear. Hot dogs run out. Thumb looks like hot dog. Bye bye thumb. Idiot ends up in hospital now has toe for thumb. Lucky the dweeb did not lose something else when moray was swimming around his nether regions. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.

 

[justleesa]

Yeah....Captain Fritz always said....Moray eels....Sharp teeth and poor eye sight...a baaaaaad combination

They are really interacting with the eel and treating it like a dog....

I did see that Olympus is making money...all of them had oly and strobe rigs

 

[Bill Fisher]

Wow.....

Looks like the new thumb (toe) ended up working pretty good,

OUCH !!!!!!!!

 

[Gombessa]

I some how question the referenced attack..

Did you watch the video? The eel didn't chomp it off, it held onto his thumb firmly, and between the eel and the diver thrashing around, the thumb "popped" out of its socket and presumably the eel just "took it from there." It's got aftermath footage, including a toe graft at the hospital; I highly doubt the key facts are fake here.

I didn't care for how the video had to have over three minutes of random eel feeding before "the moment" though, just poor cinematic pacing (and I was getting pretty nervous waiting for the inevitable!)

 

[Speargirl]

That was bad, He's lucky it was just a thumb it could have been worse. He also should not have been teasing the moray, The moray probably thought it was another hotdog.

 

[bvmjethead]

I'm not so sure I want to watch somebody lose their thumb.