Giant moray

Giant moray

Taxobox
name = Giant moray


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Anguilliformes
familia = Muraenidae
genus = "Gymnothorax"
species = "G. javanicus"
binomial = "Gymnothorax javanicus"
binomial_authority = (Bleeker, 1859)The giant moray is the largest of the Moray eels.Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. (2004) "Coral reef guide; Red Sea" London, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-715986-2]

Range

The giant moray is widespread in the Indo-Pacific region, being found in the Red Sea and East Africa, the Pitcairn group, north to the Ryukyu and Hawaiian islands, south to New Caledonia and the Austral Islands.

Description

As the name suggests, this is a large eel, reaching up to 300cm (9.8 ft) in length and 30kg (66.1 lbs) in weight. While juveniles are tan in colour with large black spots, adults have black specks that grade into leopard-like spots behind the head and a black area surrounding the gill opening.FishBase_species|genus=Gymnothorax|species=javanicus|year=2007|month=5]

Diet

Primarily fish but also crustaceans.

Habitat

Found in lagoons and seaward reefs.

Hazards

This species may be hazardous to humans in two ways:
*Being at the top of the food chain it is likely to cause ciguatera poisoning if eaten.
*It has been implicated in provoked and unprovoked attacks on scuba divers.Siliotti, A. (2002) "fishes of the red sea" Verona, Geodia ISBN 88-87177-42-2]

References


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