Spotted Moray

Q: Where can you find Spotted Moray?

Spotted Moray can be found in: Honduras East, Costa Rica, Cuba West, Panama East, USA East, Mexico South East, USA South East, Costa Rica East, Atlantic Ocean West, Venezuela, Belize, Yucatan, Cozumel Island, Lesser Antilles, Mexico East, Cuba East, Colombia North, Nicaragua East, Guatemala East, Bermuda, Caribbean Sea, Trinidad & Tobago, Gulf of Mexico, Dominican Republic, USA, Atlantic Ocean, Honduras, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica, French Guiana, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Haiti, Bahamas, Panama, Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Virgin Islands (U.S.), Virgin Islands (U.K.).

Gymnothorax moringa

More photos in Seabook

Max Size

See in App

Max Weight

See in App

Max Depth

200 m

Gymnothorax moringa is a medium to large moray eel.

Other names: Conger, Spotted Eel, Red Moray, Speckled Moray, White Cong, White Jawed Moray, White-chinned Moray and White-jawed Moray Eel.

Description

Spotted eels have a long snake-like body, white or pale yellow in overall color with small overlapping reddish brown to dark-brown spots. They are commonly 60 cm (24 in) in length and can grow to 2 m (6.6 ft), and weigh 2.51 kg (5.5 lb).

Distribution

They inhabit the Western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. They are also found around the Mid- and Eastern Atlantic islands as far south as St Helena.

Habitat

They are typically found anywhere from the surface to a depth of 200 m (660 ft). Spotted morays are solitary animals, and usually hide in narrow crevices and holes in reef structures with only their heads peaking out. They are active during the day, feeding on crustaceans and fish at or near the sea bottom. Their bite can be dangerous to humans due to damage caused by the pull-back effect of the bite itself, and potential toxins that may be released into the wound. There is a minor fishery for spotted eels, and they are also kept in aquariums until their size makes it impractical to do so.