Giant moray

The giant moray is a big, gentle eel that lives among the coral reefs of warm tropical seas. It is one of the largest moray eels of all, growing to a little over 3 metres long — that is longer than a car! Its smooth, ribbon-like body is brownish, and it winds and curves as the eel slips between the rocks and coral.

If you ever spot a giant moray, you might see it opening and closing its mouth over and over. This can look a bit fierce, but the eel is really just breathing. Pushing water in through its mouth and out over its gills is how a moray takes in oxygen, the same way you take a breath of air. It is a calm animal that would much rather hide than bother anyone.

During the daytime, a giant moray likes to rest. It tucks itself away inside cracks and crevices in the reef, peeking out to watch the world go by. Morays are usually shy and not aggressive, and they only nibble if they feel cornered or surprised. Mostly they wait quietly, letting the busy reef swim past.

As they grow, giant morays even change their pattern. Babies are a soft tan colour covered in large black spots. Grown-up morays have fine, leopard-like speckles across their bodies, and these markings help them blend right into the shadows and patterns of the coral, so they are tricky to spot.

Giant morays are found across a huge stretch of the world’s warm oceans, from the coasts of Africa and the Red Sea all the way across the Indo-Pacific to Hawaii. They live near coral reefs down to about 50 metres deep. Their conservation status is Least Concern, which means there are still plenty of them swimming safely among the reefs they call home.