Moray eel

The Moray Eel (ウツボ, Utsubo) is a rare fish in the eel family. It is yellow with a brown top and tail. It sells for as much as its freshwater counterpart, 2,000 Bells. The fish has a very large shadow when in the water. It appears in and.

In City Folk
Upon donation to the Museum, Blathers says the following:

"The moray eel has a reputation as the gangster of the deeps, eh wot? But in actuality... It's quite the scaredy-pants and rarely strays from the home it makes between large rocks. If one doesn't start any trouble, one won't find any trouble. Such is the philosophy of the moray. It's rather universal, wot? The stronger one is, the more one understands the value of avoiding trouble..."

In the Museum, this fish appears in the back tank, under a rock. It occasionally pokes its head out.

In New Leaf
The information board in front of the tank that houses the moray eel says the following:


 * "Moray eels can often be seen sticking just their heads out from between two rocks. When unsuspecting prey approaches, they dart out to snatch it up into their sharp-toothed mouths. Once moray eels have their teeth in you, it's hard to get away, making moray-eel bites no trifling matter. Their long, finless bodies are covered in tough, snakelike skin that often gets used as leather."

Further information
The moray can be found in shallow Pacific waters off the coast of Japan in reality. The approximately 200 species in 15 genera are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few, for example the freshwater moray can sometimes be found in fresh water. The body is generally patterned. In some species, the inside of the mouth is also patterned. Their jaws are wide, framing a protruding snout. Most possess large teeth used to tear flesh or grasp slippery prey items.