Florida diver’s close encounter with a huge Moray eel that snaps at him when he gets too close 

Open wide! Diver captures video of creepy-looking giant eel baring its teeth in the water off Florida

  • A Florida diver uploaded video of his encounter with a huge green Moray eel
  • The footage shows the six foot snake-like fish opening its toothy jaws wide, showing off its mouth and passing water over its gills
  • The eel snaps at the diver and his camera as they get a little too comfort
  • Green moray eels grow up to 8ft long on average and usually weigh up 65lbs 

Don’t get too close! 

A Florida diver shot this captivating video of a beautiful, yet creepy moray eel that nearly took a bite out of him.

The unnamed diver posted his video to YouTube on Monday after navigating a scenic reef in  Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in January.

The footage shows a bright green eel with its head sticking out of a coral reef.

 

The eel snaps at the diver and his camera as they get a little too comfort

A Florida diver on Monday uploaded video of his encounter with a huge green Moray eel

A Florida diver on Monday uploaded video of his encounter with a huge green Moray eel

The snake-like fish opens its mouth wide, showing the camera its mouth, gills, and sharp teeth.

As the camera closes in on the animal moments later, the eel snaps its jaws quickly. 

‘This quick snap was a warning for me to keep my distance,’ the diver said in the video’s description. 

‘I was a little too close for the eel, and it wanted to let me know to back off. I don’t want to stress out the animal, so I kept my distance and respected the animal’s space.’

Florida’s green moray eels can grow up to eight feet long on average and weigh up to 65 lbs, according to the Florida Museum. 

Their gills tend to be smaller than other fish’s, especially relative to their size, so they often open and clothes their mouths to keep water circulating over their gills to breathe properly.

Green moray eels grow up to 8ft long on average and weigh up to 65lbs

Green moray eels grow up to 8ft long on average and weigh up to 65lbs

The footage shows the six foot snake-like fish opening its toothy jaws wide, showing off its dark mouth and passing water over its gills

The footage shows the six foot snake-like fish opening its toothy jaws wide, showing off its dark mouth and passing water over its gills

Green morays usually eat and and prefer fish, crabs, shrimp, octopuses and squid ad their prey.

They will bite if they feel threatened. This usually happens when divers or snorkelers unwittingly stumble across an eel hidden in the crevices of a coral reef.’

While they’re not normally aggressive, their bodies can be toxic  

‘It will not come after you unless you are spearfishing and have an easy meal at the end of your spear,’ the video’s creator said. ‘You can normally approach them without any problems.

While they can be eaten, the skin of many eel species are lethally toxic to human beings.

 ‘I guess that’s why we never see them on the menu,’ the diver said.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk