Valerie Taylor and Harry the giant moray eel

Images(3)

Valerie Taylor and Harry the giant moray eel

Subject or historical figure Valerie Taylor (born 1935)

Photographer Ron Taylor (1934 - 2012)

DateDecember 1987

Object numberANMS1457[321]

NamePhotographic slide

MediumColour transparency film, paper

DimensionsOverall (Inc carrier): 50 × 50 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Valerie Taylor in memory of Ron Taylor

Collections

Valerie Taylor

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DescriptionValerie has a special connection with marine species. Harry the Eel was one of Valerie’s greatest underwater friends. So were Honey and Fang, whom she often visited every couple of years, and they still remembered her. Harry, Honey and Fang enjoy a scratch and slithering embrace around Valerie when she visits. They each are part of the moray eel family, that live in shallow reefs and rocks, hiding in crevices that Valerie can easily visit. Moray eels are just a subsection of the very large eel order comprising over 800 fish species both marine and freshwater. Eels are characterized by their elongate wormlike bodies but are not related to snakes. The full life cycle of eels is still a mystery to scientists, especially around their birth and maturing stage. Although it is known that they are nocturnal and generally have terrible eyesight. SignificanceValerie has a special connection with animals and this is best seen in her photography of marine species. As an accomplished photographer alongside her husband’s underwater filming, they have an amazing catalogue of films and images they created together. Valerie’s imagery has been published across books and magazines around the world. She has numerous prestigious honours for her contributions to conservation by using these pictures to help promote the importance and protection of the animals she has dived with and gotten to know firsthand. Valerie’s photographs also give you an intimate viewing into her career. Her images take you behind the scenes of filmmaking, epic seafaring journeys to remote spots and for many locations, capturing marine ecosystems often when they were much healthier than what can be seen today.