Muraenidae – Moray Eels

New Zealand Moray Eels

Moray eels are one of my favorite photographic subjects.

Most of the time they are tucked into a hole or crevice with only their eyes and mouth in view and will sit very very patiently while I flash bright lights in front of them.  Sometimes, they are out and about but usually it seems they are moving in the opposite direction from me!

I love their expressions; the softer, more innocent smiling Grey Moray to the aggressive long snout and evil eye of the Mosaic Moray.

Moray eels hide in the crevices of reefs, in small holes and gaps between rocks and boulders and occasionally have been sighted in kelp.  We do not often see them swimming freely.  As I mentioned previously, we do sometimes see them swimming up and down in the walls – often in the opposite direction from divers.

A Moray eel is a vertebrate – or a “bony fish” however the number of bones in the skull is dramatically decreased from that of fish.
Continuous dorsal and anal fins propel the Moray eel through the water, enabling it to move quickly but not for lengthy amounts of time.  However the speed at which a Moray eel can propel itself backwards has to be seen to be believed!  The extension and malleability of its body is more suited to tucking into crevices and holes and then sitting and waiting than free swimming and hunting.
The Moray eel is also covered in a mucus.

Moray eels will wait until their prey is close enough and then they will lunge out and clamp their jaws around their intended prey – most often fish, molluscs and crustaceans.  They are opportunistic omnivores – catching what they can!

Moray eels have extremely small gills with no covering so the sight of a wide mouthed Moray eel in a crevice can be daunting until you understand that the opening and closing of the mouth is not a defensive warning but rather the eel is simply breathing.

As Moray eels tend to retract themselves backwards and hide from humans when we are taking photographs, much patience can be required.  Although Moray eels appear to be vicious and ill-tempered, they cannot see or hear very well and rely on their strong sense of smell.
If you are bitten by a Moray eel, the reaction is to jerk your hand backwards which you want to avoid.  This will cut you further and some species have backwards facing teeth which prevent its prey from escaping from its mouth.
Some Moray eels carry bacteria on their teeth and parasites from other fish or microbes from the water.  Secondary infection is possible so clean the wound, disinfect it, keep it dry and seek medical advice.

Moray eels are most active at night.  If you are night diving near boulders, cracks, rocks or crevices, have patience and wait in the same spot for a small period of time.  Chances are you will see one of the following out and about.

There are five species of Moray eel found in the north-eastern part of New Zealand;

small Yellow Moray

Yellow

The Yellow Moray (Gymnothorax prasinus) is New Zealand’s most common Moray – however it is not found in the South Island and is apparently less common at the Poor Knights Islands.  Yellow Morays feed mainly on crustaceans and actually use cleaner shrimp to ensure that their teeth are clean and free from parasites.
The colour can vary from green-yellow to yellow to a brown-yellow and some eels can have extremely blue eyes.
People have been able to handle the Yellow Moray eel as it is not typically known as  ‘biter’ however I believe that we should only be handling these creatures if it is absolutely necessary.
More than once we have seen and photographed a Yellow Moray sharing a spot with another Moray which is contrary to the belief that Morays will defend “their” spot.
Yellow Moray generally grow to around 150 centimeters.

Grey Moray

Grey

The Grey Moray (Gymnothorax nubilus) looks to be the most placid.

It is the smallest and most slender of New Zealand’s Moray eels and has a distinctive dorsal fin which is rather tall for its relative size.
It has a much longer snout and is overall much narrower than a Yellow Moray for instance and is therefore more suited to probing into narrow cracks and fissures to find its prey of crabs and shrimps and very small fish.
Grey Morays can often be found in places such as tube sponges or entwined in kelp.  Sometimes, they can be seen in a refuge with another species and often, Grey Morays are found with Scorpion Fish.|
Grey Morays generally grow to around 100 centimeters.

Spotted / Mottled Moray

Spotted / Mottled

The Spotted (or Mottled) Moray (Gymnothorax prionodon) is most common further north.  Relatively uncommon at the Poor Knights Islands, they are more often found near the Cavalli Islands.
The Spotted Moray has a dark snout and very clear white spots.  It also has long jaws similar to the Mosaic Moray.
It is difficult to photograph.  Unfortunately artifical light seems to ruin the camouflage effect that the spots can have and the light also changes the colours of the eel so that it appears very light brown instead of the dark and more natural colour that can sometimes obscure the spots.
Spotted Moray generally grow to around 100 centimeters.

Mosaic Moray

Mosaic

The Mosaic Moray (Enchelycore ramosa) looks fierce as it is always seen with its mouth wide open – this is because the Mosaic Moray has teeth in the roof of its mouth and is therefore unable to close it fully.
It is a very big and strong eel.  Octopus have been sighted as being a meal of the Mosaic Moray on occasion.
Often seen in ghostly white, when the Mosaic Moray is olive-green it is quite well hidden.
A dramatic photography subject, the Mosaic Moray will stay in the same place for a long time and does not appear to be affected by strobe lights.
Mosaic Moray can grow to 180 centimeters.

Speckled Moray

Speckled / Mottled

The Speckled Moray or Mottled Moray (Gymnothorax obsesus) is one of the largest Moray eels in New Zealand waters.
It has a large but short and stocky snout and very strong jaws.
Speckled Morays have been observed to be very aggressive towards each other.  Obsesus in name and stance, it has been reported that two of these enormous Moray eels were sighted locked in furious combat.
The Speckled Moray feeds mainly on small fish as well as crustaceans.
Speckled Morays grow to around 200 centimeters.

There are some people/persons who feel comfortable enough to stroke and even to feed Moray eels – not just in New Zealand but around the world.

I prefer to observe and photograph without initiating non-natural behaviours and I am glad I stick to that policy especially when there is video evidence such as this that nature does not always understand our ‘good’ intentions ….

Lady Diver Magazine

I subscribe to quite a few diving blogs.

Lady Diver Magazine

The majority of those blogs are written by men, and whilst I find them incredibly interesting, I would always search out a little more information and hope that I would find some that was written from the female perspective.

So I was really happy to discover Lady Diver Magazine.

Created and edited by Karma Jewell Crampton, a PADI Divemaster from San Diego – Lady Diver Magazine features news and dive stories from females around the world.

Karma also has a creature feature section and I love reading about the marine life that others see and enjoy.

Lets hope that some lady divers from downunder – complete with our dive sites and creatures – will feature sometime soon!

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