Gymnothorax spp.
Photo: malcolmnobbs.com
What to look for
A snake-like body with no pectoral fins, a long dorsal fin running the length of the back, small eyes and a mouth full of backward-pointing teeth. Giant morays are brown with darker mottling; the honeycomb moray is white with black spots. They have a second set of jaws in the throat that shoots forward to drag prey in.
Hands away
Morays have poor eyesight and hunt by smell, so a hand reaching into a hole can be mistaken for a fish. Every moray bite on record involves a diver feeding one or poking around in the reef. Watch from a metre away and it will often come further out to look at you; on a night dive you can see them hunting in the open.
Where to see it
Dive with us to see it
You might also see
- AnemonefishThe clownfish of the reef, living in a sea anemone that would sting anything else. Nearly every site has a family.
- Titan triggerfishThe biggest triggerfish on the reef, and the one with a reputation: give a nesting female a wide berth.
- Whitetip reef sharkThe slender shark asleep under the ledge. Harmless, curious at night, and a resident at several of our sites.
