Green moray

Gymnothorax funebris · The green moray is a large eel found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil.

Also called Green moray eel, Black Moray, Green Cong, Green Conger.

Green moray
Photo: P.Lindgren, CC BY-SA 3.0
Green moray
Photo: Nicholas Lindell Reynolds, CC BY-SA 4.0
Green moray
Photo: Anidae, CC BY 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderAnguilliformes
FamilyMuraenidae
GenusGymnothorax
SpeciesGymnothorax funebris

Where it lives

Reefs, rocky shores and mangroves of the tropical western Atlantic and Caribbean.

Fun facts

  • The green moray can reach 2.5 metres long, making it the largest moray species of the tropical Atlantic.
  • This eel's green colour comes from a layer of mucus; underneath it, the eel is actually darker.
  • Brazilian snapper appear to recruit green morays as hunting partners while foraging among mangroves.
  • Most tracked green morays stayed within a home range averaging 5.8 hectares, and bigger eels did not have bigger ranges.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).