Starry Moray Eel – A Messy Eater

Photo courtesy from shadowsteed15 – DeviantArt

Starry Moray Eel (Echidna nebulosa)

Other Name: Snowflake Moray Eel
Max. Length: 100 centimeters
Length at 1st Maturity: 53.5 centimeters
a value: 0.00116
b value: 3.000
Depth Range: 1 – 48 meters (3 – 160 feet)
Frequency: Abundant but threatened due to live aquarium fish trade

Photo courtesy from AquaticLog

If you happen to see a snake-like fish that mostly hides in rocks, cracks and crevices in one of your underwater adventures in Cocos island, then most probably you have seen a moray eel. Although there are many species of moray eels in Cocos Island, you can still easily identify a Starry Moray Eel through its long and elongated white-colored body that has 2 rows of big black blotches where you can further see dark spots in between that creates this illusion of seeing stars, thus its name.

While there are some species of moray eels that may become aggressive as triggered by our presence underwater, the starry moray eel is relatively shy where it often retreats inside its hiding place when we come close near to them. If you think that this behavior is a sign of submission to our presence, we highly advice you to still observe this species in a safe distance. There are some reports from other countries that divers coming very near or extending their hands in their hiding place receives a nasty bite from a starry moray eel, causing them to bear painful wounds even if diving gloves are worn.

Body stripes – An Age Indicator

If the nasal openings of a spotfin burrfish and the quantity and size of dark spots of a longspined porcupinefish indicates age, then the body stripes would be for a starry moray eel.

During their juvenile stage, the black blotches are regularly aligned with reference to the center of its body. But as they grow old, the development and expansion of their skin will depend on the constriction of space in their hiding place coupled with other factors that affect growth. This, in turn, makes an uneven body growth causing the black blotches to be irregularly scattered.

A Night Stalker

Photo courtesy from Pinterest

While you can see them partly exposed with their heads out of their hiding place during the day, a starry moray eel is more active at night where they hunt for food. So expect to see them during your night dives in Cocos Island. This solitary and nocturnal eel usually performs the ambush style of attack where their prey has a few chances of getting out.

Their preferred food consist of shrimps, crabs and small lobsters. Kidding aside, this species of moray eel has the same taste with humans where we all love these marine crustaceans. Kidding further aside, a starry moray eel has a striking resemblance with humans on the way they eat. If humans tends to be messy when we eat marine crustaceans (like the ones mentioned above), so does a starry moray eel. If you happen to see a starry moray eel on the hunt in Cocos Island, they tend to first have a big bite and munch in the remaining meat afterwards leaving a messy carcass in the water. In the case of humans, it a messy plate.

Reference

Fishbase: www.fishbase.org

Marine Species: www.marinespecies.org

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org

Video courtesy from Dylan Cole

About Tristan Paylado
Tristan is a marine biologist and a CMAS 2-Star Dive Instructor
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