Spotted Moray Eel
The Gymnothorax moringa, better known as the spotted moray, is a medium sized
moray eel. It has a very long and slender body, which is white or pale yellow
and has many small overlapping dark brown spots. It can grow to be over 100 cm
long, and can weigh up to 2.5kg. The spotted moray calls the western Atlantic
Ocean its home. It likes shallow water that is under 200m deep. It’s preferred
terrain is a rocky or grassy bottom.
Spotted morays are usually seen in holes or in cracks within coral reefs or
rocks. They like to stick their head out to see what is going on. They are most
active during the day, feeding on other small fish and crustaceans. Their bite
can be dangerous to humans. Like most other sea creatures, if you see them when
you are diving or in an aquarium, it is best to just observe them, and try not
to reach out and grab them. Generally speaking, spotted morays are too large to
keep in an aquarium. They need a lot of space and a large piece of rock or reef
to make shelter in.
This makes it impractical for most people to keep them in a home aquarium. If
you do have an aquarium large enough to hold an eel of this size, you may have
look around in a few aquarium stores to purchase an eel like this. Since they
are not very common, you may have to pay a bit more money than if you were
buying a different kind of eel. You can feed this eel small things like live
fish or shrimp. You can purchase these foods at a grocery store, but it usually
best to purchase their food from an aquarium store.
More Information About Moray Eels
