Eel

Gymnothorax javanicus

The giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) is a moray eel and marine fish in the family Muraenidae. Measured by body mass it is the heaviest of the moray eels, although the slender giant moray surpasses it in sheer length.

Family

Muraenidae

Avg Size

100-200 cm

Habitat

The giant moray is found throughout the Indo-Pacific, from the east coast of Africa and the Red Sea across to the Pitcairn group, the Hawaiian Islands and Polynesia, reaching north to southern Japan and south to New Caledonia, Fiji and the Austral Islands. It occupies lagoons and the outer slopes of coral reefs, sheltering by day in crevices at depths between 1 and 50 metres.

Behaviour

The giant moray is a carnivore that hunts within the reef at night. It is known to team up with the roving coral grouper (Plectropomus pessuliferus) in cooperative hunts, with the two species working as complementary partners: the moray flushes prey out of reef crevices for the grouper, while the grouper drives prey into the reef where the moray can ambush it. Fish make up most of its diet, with crustaceans taken occasionally, and in its native Red Sea range it has recently been identified as a natural predator of the lionfish (Pterois miles).

Where & When to See It

Elphinstone

Eel

Where & When to See It

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