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How to fold an origami moray eel

A long strip folded in half. Snip a mouth and swing the lower jaw open, crimp the body twice so it curls down, then set it in a dark hole in a folded rock.

You need: A 6 × 30 cm green strip, a 19 × 14 cm grey sheet and a 6 × 5 cm black piece, all white on the back, scissors, glue, a black and a white pen. Hard, 18 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. Green side up, fold the bottom half of the strip behind, up onto the top half. The fold is the belly; the head will be on the left.
  2. Fold in half again. Fold the belly up to the top edge, all layers together.
  3. Snip the mouth. Snip 3.5 cm along the bottom fold from the left end.
  4. Unfold. Fold the belly back down. The snip is the mouth.
  5. Crimp the upper bend. Fold the rest of the eel back over itself on a crease across the body, slanting a little: front layer in front, back layer behind.
  6. Crimp the upper bend: back. Fold it back out on a crease 1.5 cm nearer the head, turned a little, so the body heads down at a slant. A neat crimp!
  7. Crimp the lower bend. Fold the rest of the eel back over itself on a crease across the body, slanting a little: front layer in front, back layer behind.
  8. Crimp the lower bend: back. Fold it back out on a crease 1.5 cm nearer the head, turned a little, so the body hangs straight down. A neat crimp!
  9. Open the mouth. Fold the lower jaw down from the end of the snip, on a slant to the belly, so the mouth gapes open.
  10. Point the snout. Fold the top front corner behind, both layers together, on a long slant down to the mouth, so the upper jaw tapers.
  11. The rock. Set the eel aside. Take the grey sheet, grey side up.
  12. Rock: fold the bottom. Fold the bottom 3 cm behind.
  13. Rock: round the top. Fold both top corners behind on big slants, 4 cm along each edge.
  14. Rock: make it lumpy. Fold the four new corners behind on short slants, so the rock is a lumpy dome.
  15. The hole. Set the rock aside. Take the 6 × 5 cm black piece.
  16. Hole: round it. Fold the four corners behind, about 1 cm each way, so it's a dark oval.
  17. Into the hole. Glue the hole on the rock, low down in the middle, then glue the eel's tail end onto the hole so the eel rises up out of it.
  18. Fold up the lip. Fold the rock's bottom edge up 1.5 cm over the eel's tail and glue it, so the eel comes out from behind the rock.

Snap!

Draw a small eye, white teeth along both jaws, and dark spots all over the eel.

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