When you go on a dive, and an eel bites your thigh, that’s… A moray? Moray eels are full of surprises. Hidden in their throats is one of the most fascinating adaptations in the animal kingdom: a second set of jaws. Called pharyngeal jaws, these throat-jaws are common in many fishes, but morays use them in a way unlike any other. Most fish rely on suction to pull food down their throats. Morays, with their slender bodies tucked into tight crevices, don’t have that option. Instead, they use bungee-like muscles to launch their pharyngeal jaws forward — like something out of Alien. Armed with sharp, curved teeth, these jaws seize prey like fish, squid, and crabs, then drag it back into the esophagus. Scientists first proposed this “raptorial” feeding mechanism in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until high-speed video in the 2000s that it was confirmed. To this day, researchers are uncovering new details about the anatomy behind one of nature’s most unusual ways to eat. Video by paulnicklen ...