Giant moray
Gymnothorax javanicus
Fimbriated moray
Gymnothorax fimbriatus
About
A medium-sized moray, reaching about 90 cm, of protected inshore waters. It is common in harbours and small caves.
Also known as: gymnothorax fimbriatus, darkspotted moray, spot-face moray
- Length
- 93 cm
- Weight
- max 1.5 kg
- Depth
- up to 50 m
How to tell it apart
Much smaller than the laced moray or the spotted moray eel. Look for the greenish-yellow head with black dots and the white corners of the mouth.
Appearance
The body is creamy white to light brown with numerous black spots. The head is greenish yellow with black dots, and the corners of the mouth are white. The black spots are proportionally much larger in young eels than in adults.
Habitat
It lives on tropical reefs from Madagascar to the Society Islands, north to southern Japan and south to Queensland. It occurs in lagoons, on reef flats and seaward reefs, preferring protected inshore waters among dead corals, from the surface to about 50 m.
Behaviour
It leaves its shelter at night to hunt along the reef and stays in crevices by day.
Diet
It feeds mainly on small fish and crustaceans.
Did you know?
The black spots of young fimbriated morays are proportionally much larger than those of adults.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
