Green Moray

The green moray, or Gymnothorax funebris,  is one of the largest and most common moray eels.  It is solid green to brown in color with no markings on the body.  The morays, or Muraenidae family, have no pectoral or ventral fins.  Additionally, like all true eels (Anguilliforms), their dorsal and anal fins are fused together to form a single continuous fin that starts behind the head and ends midway down the belly.  All morays have a clear protective mucus that covers their scaleless bodies.  Adult green morays average between three to five feet, but they can grow as large as eight feet in length.

A Green Moray underneath a reef ledge

A common misconception is that eels are not fish.  They are bony fish, belonging to the class Ostiecthyes.  Another misconception is that green morays are dangerous.  Although they may bite if molested, green morays are not aggressive.  Often divers or snorkelers think that they are threatening due to the fact that they constantly open and close their mouths.  In reality, these eels, like the great barracuda, behave this way in order to move water through their gills for respiration.

The green moray can be found throughout the eastern seaboard of the United States, the Caribbean, and South America.  These eels are bottom-dwellers that inhabit rocky shorelines, reefs, and mangroves.  The green moray is a nocturnal species, but can often be found sticking its head out of various holes during the day.  At night, the green moray emerges from hiding and hunts for fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods using its keen sense of smell.  When it comes to these eel's life cycle, there is little known about green moray spawning.  The interesting aspect about their reproduction is that they produce larvae known as leptocephali.  These transparent, ribbion-like larvae surprisingly begin life with pectoral fins but then loose them as they develop.

References: "Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department: Green Moray." Florida Museum of Natural History. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. <http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/GreenMoray/GreenMoray.html>.; Humann, Paul, and Ned DeLoach. Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. Jacksonville, FL: New World Publications, 2002. 422, 425. Print.