Also known as Gymnothorax prasinus, is found in reef regions of broken rock at depths of 50 m in southern Australia and between North Cape and the Mahia Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand.
The very long, scaleless Gymnothorax prasinus has a mouthful of teeth that face backward and are hinged so that they can fold back but lock when the prey tries to escape. The color of the eel can range from drab gold to a bright fluorescent orange or orange-green. This is due to the eel’s body being covered in slime, which gives it a fluorescence that makes it stand out brightly against any background.
Habitat
Green Morays can be found in estuaries, further offshore seas, weed-covered reefs, shallow rocky reefs, and reefs. Usually, only the head is visible, sticking out of a crack in the rocks or, on rare occasions, a man-made object like a pipe.
In nooks and holes in both rock and coral reefs, a lot of morays can be seen during the day. The moray may strike at prey from a concealed posture and is protected from predators thanks to this behavior. Despite their solitary lifestyles, Morays account for a sizable fraction of carnivorous fishes in some areas. Morays make up 46% of the weight of all carnivorous fishes on some Hawaiian reefs. All of the world’s tropical and temperate waters have moray eels. The Green Moray can be found in temperate coastal waters in Australia from Shark Bay in Western Australia to southern Tasmania.
Description
Green body with a humped, yellowish brown head. When foraging at night, the species typically travels around in the open while hiding out during the day in crevices. Along the coast of New South Wales, the speckled moray Gymnothorax obesus is a second species of temperate moray eel. This eel has a distinctive color pattern with plenty of cream speckles all over a brown body, making it simple to identify. There are a few tropical moray eels as well, although they are uncommon.
Keeping as Pet
Feeding and Diet
Every moray is a carnivore (meat eaters). From the enormous fangs of the Dragon Morays, genus Enchelycore, to the low, rounded teeth found in the genera Echidna and Gymnomuraena, their teeth vary in size and shape. Gymnothorax morays have enormous mouths and an astonishing number of teeth. The Green Moray’s mouth reaches well behind the eye at the back. Both jaws have a single row of the huge, pointed teeth, as well as a row along the roof of the mouth.
Social Behavior
To seek the reef, green moray eels will cooperate with other fish. Few other creatures exhibit this cooperative hunting behavior, but several divers have observed moray eels and groupers engaging in it.
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