Length: Average 5-6 feet, up to 8 feet
Weight: Average under 30 pounds, up to 65 pounds
Green morays are considered "true" eels and have a dorsal fin that extends from its head all along the back before fusing with the caudal (tail) and anal fins. They are often seen opening and closing their mouth, exposing two full rows of very sharp teeth on the upper jaw and a full single row on the lower.
Interestingly, their skin is not green! They are dark grey or brown, but are covered in a mucus that gives them their green appearance while protecting them from parasites and bacteria. Cleaner shrimp and gobies also help eat parasites, bacteria, and dead skin off an eel's body and from their mouths in a symbiotic relationship.
Known as top predators within their marine ecosystem, they hunt by lying in wait in rock crevices and coral reefs. Their keen sense of smell helps to detect prey swimming by, upon which they snatch the prey up and swallow it whole. If the prey is too large to consume whole, they will curl their bodies around the fish, tearing it into small pieces. While moray eels are opportunistic feeders that eat what swims by, some of their favorite foods include fish, shrimp, mollusks, crabs, and squid. If attacking an octopus, the moray can tie itself into a knot to avoid the octopus' grip.
Green moray eels are normally found in warm tropical and sub-tropical saltwater, hiding in rock crevices or the nooks of coral reefs during the day.
The mating season runs from July to September. Fully mature female moray eels lay thousands of eggs at a spawning site during this time, but only some of the eggs will be fertilized by males. After spawning, both parents leave the eggs and future young to fend for themselves. The transparent ribbon-like juveniles (leptocephali) that emerge after several months proceed through three stages of metamorphosis before the cycle begins again.
Relationship With Humans
These eels, while territorial and capable of a harsh bite, rarely attack unless provoked and are generally calm animals when undisturbed. However, scuba divers and snorkelers exploring reefs must take care to avoid placing hands near crevices in the reefs without knowing what's in them.
Though some humans eat these eels, this can be dangerous as eels may ingest a type of plankton called dinoflagellates (or they may eat fish that consume dinoflagellates), which can cause a foodborne illness called ciguatera poisoning.
Back and Forth
Green moray eels are the only fish in the world that can swim both forward and backward!
Climate change has led to the global destruction of reefs, which endangers the many marine species that call the reefs home, including these eels. Additionally, like all marine animals, green moray eels are highly impacted by environmental changes and the damage caused by unsustainable fishing and ocean pollution.
Green moray eels are not currently threatened and have few natural predators!
Kwa mfano, urefu wa mnyama wa kawaida ni mita 5 hadi 8 na uzito wa mnyama wa kawaida ni mita 3 hadi 6.Muray ya kijani huchukuliwa kuwa mwerevu wa kweli na ina fin ya mgongo ambayo inaenea kutoka kichwa hadi nyuma kabla ya kuungana na tail na fins ya anal. Mara nyingi huonekana wakifungua na kufunga mdomo wao, wakifunua safu mbili kamili za meno makali sana kwenye taya ya juu na safu moja kamili kwenye chini. Jambo la kupendeza ni kwamba ngozi yao si ya kijani! Wao ni kijivu au kahawia, lakini ni kufunikwa katika mucus ambayo inawapa muonekano wao kijani wakati kulinda yao kutoka vimelea na bakteria. Mnyama anayeitwa cleaner shrimp na goby pia husaidia kula vimelea, bakteria, na ngozi iliyokufa kwenye mwili wa mwerezi na kutoka kinywani mwake katika uhusiano wa ushirikiano. Wakiwa wanyama wa hali ya juu katika mazingira yao ya baharini, wao huwinda kwa kulala kimya katika nyufa za miamba na matumbawe. Hisia yao ya kunusa husaidia kugundua mawindo yanayopita, kisha huwakamata na kuwala. Ikiwa windo ni kubwa sana hivi kwamba haliwezi kulila lote, wao hujipinda mwili wao kuzunguka samaki huyo, wakimkata vipande-vipande. Ingawa anguni huja kwa sababu ya chakula wanachokula, wao hupenda kula samaki, kamba, moluska, kaa, na kalamu. Ikiwa inashambulia pomboo, muray anaweza kujifunga katika kamba ili kuepuka kukamatwa na pomboo. Kwa kawaida, mwamba wa kijani-kibichi hupatikana katika maji ya chumvi ya kitropiki na ya kitropiki, na hujificha katika nyufa za miamba au katika vifungu vya matumbawe wakati wa mchana. Msimu wa kujamiiana huanza Julai hadi Septemba. Nyigu wa kike aliyekomaa kabisa hutaga maelfu ya mayai katika mahali pa kuzaa wakati huo, lakini ni baadhi tu ya mayai hayo yatakayotengenezwa na wanaume. Baada ya kuzaa, wazazi wote wawili huacha mayai na watoto wa wakati ujao wajitegemee wenyewe. Vijana hao wenye umbo la mkanda (leptocephali) ambao huonekana baada ya miezi kadhaa hupitia hatua tatu za mabadiliko ya umbo kabla ya mzunguko huo kuanza tena. Urafiki na Wanadamu Eel hizi, ingawa zina mamlaka na zinaweza kuuma kwa ukali, mara chache hushambulia isipokuwa zikisababishwa na kwa ujumla ni wanyama wenye utulivu wakati hazisumbuliwe. Hata hivyo, wavuvi na wavuvi wanaochunguza matumbawe lazima wajihadhari kuepuka kuweka mikono karibu na nyufa katika matumbawe bila kujua nini ndani yao. "Watu wengi wanaona kuwa ni hatari kwa sababu ya kuingiza aina ya plankton inayoitwa dinoflagellates, ambayo inaweza kusababisha ugonjwa unaosababishwa na chakula unaoitwa ""uchafu wa ciguatera.""" Nyangumi wa kijani-kibichi ndiye samaki pekee ulimwenguni anayeweza kuogelea mbele na nyuma! Mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa yamesababisha uharibifu wa matumbawe duniani kote, na hivyo kuhatarisha spishi nyingi za baharini zinazokaa kwenye matumbawe hayo, kutia ndani vipepeo. Kwa kuongezea, kama wanyama wote wa baharini, mwani wa kijani huathiriwa sana na mabadiliko ya mazingira na uharibifu unaosababishwa na uvuvi usio endelevu na uchafuzi wa bahari. Kwa sasa, korongo wa aina ya muray hawahatarini na hawana wawindaji wengi!