The Battle Between Eel and Stonefish Is One-Sided | National Geographic

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·Nov 11, 2024

Today in the ocean, a life-or-death battle between two extremely capable predators. First up is the stonefish, the killer who hides in plain sight, with sharp spines containing enough venom to kill a person. We've chosen a shot of it missing its prey.

I'm skeptical. Its opponent, the Moray Eel. Its toxic skin and sharp teeth are battle-tested and ready to hunt. I know where I'm placing my bets. Let's see how things play out.

As the eel dodges the venomous spine of the stonefish, he sinks his teeth in and doesn't let go. Not off to a good start, stonefish! As the eel's skin comes in contact with its wounded prey, the toxin excruciatingly destroys its red blood cells.

Okay, stonefish is gonna need to mount a comeback here. The assault isn't over though. As the eel clamps down, a second pair of jaws deep inside its throat slides up to chew the meal.

And that is alien! That is the Xenomorph from Alien! Can we license some footage of Alien to put up alongside this? Ah, no, I'm being told no. We cannot afford it.

We begun entangling the fish in its body. The eel is then able to tear off more manageable chunks. There are about 200 kinds of moray eels throughout the world. Some chase their prey while others prefer to lie and wait.

Note to the scriptwriter: be careful with your titling this! I don't know about a battle between two capable predators when one is just going to sort of stomp all over the other. I'm just saying.

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The Battle Between Eel and Stonefish Is One-Sided | National Geographic

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