Yellow moray
(Gymnothorax prasinus)
General data
The standard name of the species comes from the yellowish-brown to green colouration of the fish. The head is usually orange.
Habitat
Green Morays can be found in shallow rocky reefs, weed-covered reefs, in estuaries and in deeper offshore waters. They are usually seen with only the head protruding from a crevice in the rocks or occasionally a person-made object such as a pipe.
During the day, many morays are found in crevices and holes in both rock and coral reefs. This habit affords the moray protection from predators and allows it to strike at prey from a hidden position. Despite their reclusive habits, in some places Morays make up a huge proportion of the carnivorous fishes. On some reefs in Hawaii morays make up 46 percent of the total weight of carnivorous fishes.
Distribution
Moray Eels occur in all tropical and temperate oceans of the world. In Australia the Green Moray occurs in temperate coastal waters from south-eastern Queensland to Shark Bay, Western Australia, including northern Tasmania.
