Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that can help answer the question.
Query: How long is a moray eel?
As the name suggests, it is a large eel, reaching up to 3m (9.8ft) in length and 30kg (66lb) in weight.[2] Its serpent-shaped body has a brownish background color. While juveniles are tan in color 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.[3]
The panamic green moray eel ("Gymnothorax castaneus") is a large moray eel in the Pacific. Common names also include chestnut moray eel.
The lesser moray ("Gymnothorax minor") is a moray eel found in the western Pacific Ocean. It was first named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Hermann Schlegel in 1846, and is also known as the reticulated moray eel.
The Y-patterned moray eel ("Gymnothorax berndti") is a deep-water moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific and western Indian Oceans at depths to 300 m. It was first named by Snyder in 1904, and is also commonly known as Berndt's moray eel.
The lipspot moray ("Gymnothorax chilospilus"), also known as the textile moray, white-lipped moray or white-lipped reef eel, is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It was first named by Pieter Bleeker in 1864.
The Indian mud moray, "Gymnothorax tile", is a moray eel found in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. It was first named by Hamilton in 1822, and is also commonly known as the freshwater moray or freshwater snowflake eel. It lives in marine conditions, but travels to fresh water for breeding and spawning. When kept as pets, Indian mud morays actually thrive better in brackish water, rather than pure fresh water. It is said to reach a length of about . These eels can live up to 30 years. The species is characterized by a black body with orange and white speckles covering the length of the body. "Gymnothorax tile", like any other moray eel, possesses a second set of jaws, called the pharyngeal jaws, to swallow their prey. This eel also possesses terrible eyesight, and instead relies upon a keen sense of smell and vibrations in the water to detect prey or approaching threats. It is for the most part a scavenger that eats dead fish, shrimp, and other such foods. Due to its poor eyesight, this eel does not hunt on a normal basis, but will resort to hunting if there is no other option.
Uropterygius macrocephalus is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is commonly known as the needle-tooth moray, large-headed snake moray, largehead snake moray, largehead moray, longhead moray, or the snowflake eel. It is used sometimes in aquariums.
Scuticaria tigrina is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is commonly known as the tiger reef-eel, tiger snake moray, tiger moray eel, tiger moray, tiger eel, spotted eel, or the spotted snake moray.
The drab moray ("Gymnothorax monochrous") is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It was first named by Pieter Bleeker in 1856, and is also commonly known as the brown moray, monochrome moray, monotone moray, or plain moray eel.
The blotch-necked moray ("Gymnothorax margaritophorus") is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It was first named by Pieter Bleeker in 1864, and is also commonly known as the blackpearl moray, pearly moray, pearly reef-eel, or the trunk-eyed moray.
Gymnothorax longinquus is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the southwest Pacific Ocean. It is commonly known as the yellow-gilled reef-eel, yellow-gilled moray, brown moray-eel, or long moray.
Gymnothorax pictus, the painted moray, paintspotted moray or peppered moray, is a moray eel. The Chamorro name of the eel is "títugi".
Gymnothorax annasona is a moray eel found in the southwest Pacific Ocean, around Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. It was first named by Whitley in 1937, and is commonly known as the Lord Howe Island moray or the Lord Howe moray.
Uropterygius marmoratus is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is commonly known as the marbled reef-eel, marbled eel, marbled snake moray, marbled moray, or the slender conger eel.
The atoll moray eel ("Gymnothorax atolli") is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It was first named by Pietschmann in 1935.
The giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) is a species of moray eel and a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae. In terms of body mass, it is the largest moray eel (the slender giant moray is longer).[1]
Scuticaria okinawae is a moray eel found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is commonly known as the shorttailed snake moray, shorttail moray, Seale's moray eel, or the Bennett's moray.
Abbott's moray eel ("Gymnothorax eurostus"), also known as the stout moray, is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the Indo-Pacific, antitropical in distribution. It is found in the eastern Pacific from Costa Rica to Easter Island, at depths to 40 m. Its length is up to 60 cm. Abbott's moray eel is a shallow-water, inshore reef species, though not often seen. They are voracious nocturnal carnivores feeding mostly on reef fishes.
The elegant moray ("Gymnothorax elegans"), or Goldsborough's moray eel, is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It was first named by Bliss in 1883.
Although the moray eel can occupy both tropical oceans and temperate oceans, as well as both freshwater and saltwater, the majority of moray eels occupy warm saltwater environments, which contain reefs. Within the tropical oceans and temperate oceans, the moray eel occupies shelters, such as dead patch reefs and coral rubble rocks, and less frequently occupies live coral reefs.
The banded moray ("Gymnothorax rueppelliae"), also known as the banded reef-eel, Rüppell's moray, Rüppell's moray eel, black barred eel, yellow-headed moray eel or yellow-headed moray, is a moray eel found in coral reefs in Red Sea, East Africa to Hawaii, Tuamotu, Marquesas Islands, north of Ryukyu Islands and south of the Great Barrier Reef. It is a pale grey to greyish-brown moray with a 16-21 dark bars on the body and fins that become indistinct with growth, top of the head yellow and a dark spot at the corner of the mouth.
The snowflake moray eel is not safe to keep with shrimp, crabs or lobsters, since crustaceans are their natural diet. However, they are safe to keep with most other invertebrates, including starfish, anemones and sea urchins. Snowflake morays are reef safe and will not bother corals, though these eels are messy eaters and will require strong filtration and a relatively large protein skimmer for the long-term health of any corals housed in their aquarium. The moray eel will likely consume very small fish such as damselfish. Compatible tankmates for the snowflake moray eel include other relatively large, aggressive fish, such as lionfish, tangs, triggerfish, wrasses, and possibly even other snowflake moray eels if they are both introduced to the tank at the same time. Snowflake moray eels are capable of inflicting a severe bite.
Uropterygius concolor is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It was first named by Rüppell in 1838, and is commonly known as the unicolor snake moray, uniform reef-eel, brown reef-eel, brown moray eel, or the brown moray. It is mostly dull brown in colour, with the tip of the tail being yellow.
The southern moray ("Gymnothorax austrinus") is a moray eel found in the eastern Indian Ocean, around Victoria, Australia. It was first named by Böhlke and McCosker in 2001. It lives in moderate-temperature, marine habitat; it is a demersal fish. The maximum length discovered was a female at 88.2 cm long.
Channomuraena vittata is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the Pacific, Indian, and western Atlantic Oceans. It is commonly known as the broadbanded moray, banded moray, banded creeping eel, Chinese moray, double-ended moray, long-jawed moray, or the strange moray.