Moray eel

Fimbriated moray, Gymnothorax fimbriatus

Moray eels or Muraenidae are a cosmopolitan family of eels. The approximately 200 species in 15 genera are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and very few are found in fresh water. The smallest moray is likely Snyder's moray (Anarchias leucurus), which attains a maximum length of 11.5 cm (4.5 in), while the longest species, the slender giant moray (Strophidon sathete) reaches up to 4 m (13 ft). The largest in terms of total mass is the giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus), which reaches 3 m (9.8 ft) in length and 30 kg (66 lb) in weight. The English name, from the early 17th century, derives from the Portuguese moréia, which itself derives from the Latin mūrēna, in turn from the Greek muraina, a kind of eel. There are currently around 202 known species of moray eels, divided between 16 genera. The genus Gymnothorax is by far the broadest, including more than half of the total number of species. Source: Wikipedia

Rhinomuraena quaesita

Strophidon sathete

Uropterygius xanthopterus

Scuticaria tigrina

Anarchias seychellensis

Pseudechidna brummeri

Muraena helena

Gymnomuraena zebra

Enchelycore schismatorhynchus

Moray eels are most often harmless diving mates, and can even be friendly

Echidna nebulosa

Gymnothorax rueppelliae

Muraena helena showing typical moray eel morphology: robust anguilliform shape,
lack of pectoral fins and circular gill openings

Green Moray Eel

picture of giant moray eel in a wreck

A Pacific cleaner shrimp cleans the mouth of a moray eel

Picture of a moray eel taken in the Maldives in 2006

Moray eels' habit of keeping their mouth open is sometimes misinterpreted as a threatening posture

Moray eels' faces are often considered terrifying.

Moray eel feeding can result in accidental bites.

 

Gymnothorax javanicus, very common in the tropical Indo-Pacific,
is one of the biggest species, able to reach 3m long and weight 70kg

Picture Source: Wikipedia