Eels and Morays: Anguilliformes

Physical characteristics: Slender giant morays are the longest of the eels and morays, reaching 13 feet (4 meters). These morays are brownish gray on top and paler on the bottom.

Geographic range: Slender giant morays live in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Habitat: Slender giant morays live on the muddy bottoms of coastal waters, including bays and rivers.

Diet: Slender giant morays eat crustaceans and fishes.

Behavior and reproduction: The most interesting habit of slender giant morays is that they stand straight up and down from their burrows with the head beneath the surface, rising and falling with the tide. Almost nothing is known about their reproduction.

Slender giant morays and people: Slender giant moray is a food fish.

Slender giant morays are the longest of the eels and morays. (Illustration by Barbara Duperron. Reproduced by permission.)

Conservation status: Slender giant morays are not threatened or endangered. ∎