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Morays
Conger, Ribbon & Garden Eels
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Eels on or close to coral reegs are important active hunters. They range from the colourful ribbon eels, to muscular moray eels, the camouflage huntering snake eels to the waving gardens of thousands of Garden Eels.
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Conger & Garden Eels
Garden Eels live in sand burrows in colonies of sometimes many thousand individuals. They feed on plankton swept past in currents, coming far out (30 - 100cm depending on the species)for their burrows making a colony look like field of plant stalks. At the slightest sign of danger they retreat into their burrows.
Congers are mostly deep-water fish, but Ariosoma species can be seen close to reefs in normal diving depths.
Moray Eels
Morays are a large group of important reef predators. There is a wide range of head-shape, colour patterns, size and teeth arrangement. They tend to be secretive and many speicies are only seen at night when they prefer to hunt. Their excellent eyesight, sense of smell, and flexible bodies enable them to even find fish that are well hidden, deep in the reef.
Generally under a meter long, some can grow very large like the Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) at 2.5 meters and the Black-Spotted Moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) at 1.8 meters long. Their bodies are also massive, and while non-aggressive, can be dangerous, inflicting deep wounds, if annoyed by divers.
Ribbon Eels
Ribbon Eels are also morays, but have extremely laterally compressed meter-long bodies. Rhinomureana lives in burrows which it seldom leaves, and Pseudechidna can be seen hunting on sea-grass beds and on coastal reefs. Both genera have a spectacular sinuous swimming motion.
Rhinomureana quaesita males are birght blue with a yellow head and dorsal fin, while the females are entirely yellow. Juveniles and sub-adults are jet black with a yellow dorsal fin. Males can also change into females.
The spectacular colours and behaviour of Rhinomureana quaesita leads to it being caught for the aquarium trade, but specimens almost always die within a couple of months. Luckily they are commmon and appear not to be threatened by the trade.
Snake Eels
The scaleless Snake Eels are voracious hunters, lying buried in the sand with only part of their head and eyes showing on the surface. When a fish, crustacian or other prey come close, they lunge forward with lightning speed to catch their prey. Their large mouths with an often underslung lower jaw and backward point teeth engulf their prey and make escape almost impossible.
Leiuranus species mimic sea cobras which my give them some protection from predators.
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Conger & Garden Eels
Conger & Garden Eels
Garden Eels live in sand burrows in colonies of sometimes many thousand individuals. They feed on plankton swept past in currents, coming far out (30 - 100cm depending on the species)for their burrows making a colony look like field of plant stalks. At the slightest sign of danger they retreat into their burrows.
Congers are mostly deep-water fish, but Ariosoma species can be seen close to reefs in normal diving depths.
Moray Eels
Moray Eels
Morays are a large group of important reef predators. There is a wide range of head-shape, colour patterns, size and teeth arrangement. They tend to be secretive and many speicies are only seen at night when they prefer to hunt. Their excellent eyesight, sense of smell, and flexible bodies enable them to even find fish that are well hidden, deep in the reef.
Generally under a meter long, some can grow very large like the Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) at 2.5 meters and the Black-Spotted Moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) at 1.8 meters long. Their bodies are also massive, and while non-aggressive, can be dangerous, inflicting deep wounds, if annoyed by divers.
Ribbon Eels
Ribbon Eels
Ribbon Eels are also morays, but have extremely laterally compressed meter-long bodies. Rhinomureana lives in burrows which it seldom leaves, and Pseudechidna can be seen hunting on sea-grass beds and on coastal reefs. Both genera have a spectacular sinuous swimming motion.
Rhinomureana quaesita males are birght blue with a yellow head and dorsal fin, while the females are entirely yellow. Juveniles and sub-adults are jet black with a yellow dorsal fin. Males can also change into females.
The spectacular colours and behaviour of Rhinomureana quaesita leads to it being caught for the aquarium trade, but specimens almost always die within a couple of months. Luckily they are commmon and appear not to be threatened by the trade.
Snake Eels
Snake Eels
The scaleless Snake Eels are voracious hunters, lying buried in the sand with only part of their head and eyes showing on the surface. When a fish, crustacian or other prey come close, they lunge forward with lightning speed to catch their prey. Their large mouths with an often underslung lower jaw and backward point teeth engulf their prey and make escape almost impossible.
Leiuranus species mimic sea cobras which my give them some protection from predators.
