User:Cjlusing/California moray

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The California moray (Gymnothorax mordax) is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the eastern Pacific from just north of Santa Barbara to Santa Maria Bay in Baja California. They are the only species of moray eel found off California, and one of the few examples of a subtropical moray. They typically occupy boulder or cobble habitats up to 40 m in depth. They can attain lengths of about 5 ft (1.52 m) and are believed to live for upwards of 22–26 years. Like other morays, they have no pelvic or pectoral fins or gill covers.

Habitat and Distribution
California morays are a common sight on rocky reefs surrounding islands in southern California (notably, Catalina Island in the California Channel Islands) and other islands in the Pacific. Their geographic distribution extends from Point Conception, California to Magdalena Bay, Baja California. However, a recent study suggests the northernmost populations of the California moray were only brought there due to an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event.

Reproduction occurs only in the warm waters off of Baja Mexico, and so younger members of the species are only found in the southern portion of the California moray's range. California moray juveniles live in tide pools while adults live in deeper waters. Morays also have high site fidelity, generally remaining in one cove over a long time.

Symbiotic Relationship
The California moray has a distinct mutualistic symbiotic relationship with red rock shrimp where the cleaner shrimp clean the moray. The red rock shrimp aggregate in large populations on the moray. In addition to cleaning, the cleaner shrimp help kills parasites within the mouth cavity and have been found to reach the stomach to feed on parasites.

Diet
The California Moray is thought to be primarily piscivorous, and appears to specialize in the kelp bass, Paralabrax clathratus. However, they are opportunistic predators whose diet also consists of invertebrate prey such as octopuses, lobsters, and red rock shrimp.

Feeding Behavior
The California moray is the apex predator in the reef, its natural habitat, as they have no natural predators and face no intense competition for prey. They are also considered nocturnal hunters, due to their elusiveness in the daytime.

Although most fishes living in open environments can open their mouths wide enough to suck in prey, the small space the moray lives in prevents it from catching prey this way. Like other moray eels, California morays have a special set of pharyngeal jaws that allows prey to be transported from their mouths into their throats. As an additional aid to prey transport, they have a set of depressible teeth in the roof of their mouths that fold upward as prey is swallowed. Despite the bite force of the California moray varying from 32N and 467N of pressure, it was determined that there is no distinction between the prey they specifically consume based on the bite force they exert.

The California moray's prey manipulation behaviors, including consumption and transportation, also does not vary depending on prey type. However, the time spent on prey manipulation behaviors increases as prey size increases. The California moray spends more time feeding as the size of the fish and cephalopods it preys upon also increases. However, when consuming a cephalopod, the California moray spends a greater proportion of time on transportation than feeding. Moreover, prey size increases with the size of the individual California moray. When it comes time for the moray to feed on a cephalopod, like an octopus, the cephalopod will resist by latching on the head of the moray with its tentacles. To counter the cephalopod, the moray will twist and rotate its body so the tentacles can unhinge off the body so the moray can eat the cephalopod. As a California moray grows, its prey becomes larger and it stops consuming smaller organisms.

Reproduction
The California moray mate and spawn in the warm waters off the coast of Baja Mexico. The water off the California coast is believed to be too cold for the species to reproduce in, which is supported by the absence of juvenile California morays outside of breeding grounds. At least one study has proposed that this species is non-reproductive in the most northern parts of its range due to the water temperature being too cold for gonadal development. The fertilization of eggs occurs in the water, and although the pelagic larval duration (PLD) of larval G. mordaxis is unknown, studies on related species suggest that the larval state persists for up to 2 years before maturing.

A recent study used the otoliths (ear bones) of California morays from Catalina Island to estimate individuals' ages, which cross-referenced with data from the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI), revealed that the majority of individuals examined likely only arrived on Catalina Island due to an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event. During an ENSO event, larvae drifted north due to the northward-flowing Davidson Current. Therefore supporting the hypothesis that spawning populations are found further south.

Threat to Humans
Human attacks due to the California moray are very rare but possible when venturing near them. California morays are not venomous, but they have the capability of causing deep puncture wounds with their bite. Also, upon the bite, they have a chance of infecting you with deadly bacteria.

Conservation
The California moray is classified by the IUCN Red List as a species of least concern. The California moray is not commercially fished, but the species does face threats from pollution and habitat degradation.

However, despite their stability, California morays have still been the subject of conservation efforts. A recent study has connected the conservation efforts in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to ecological impacts on California moray populations. Within MPAs, California morays were found to be longer, older, heavier, had higher body condition, and were found in greater abundance. However, too great of an abundance was also connected to higher frequencies of cannibalism, the presence of disease, and lower growth rates.