Moray eels.

Story & Photos By Kelly Currington

If stunning turquoise water, powder-white sand beaches, and a welcoming culture are what your getaway requires, the Turks & Caicos Islands have most likely been a bucket-list destination, and rightfully so. The waters and reefs of the Turks & Caicos are a wonderland of flora and fauna, and this beauty is what attracts hundreds of thousands of divers every year.

As a dive addict myself, the privilege of encountering marine life and studying their behaviors and personalities are what draw me back to the sea. There are many creatures that most people love to encounter on a dive or when snorkeling. Sea turtles, octopus, rays, angelfish, etc. seem to bring reactions of happiness and excitement, but there are some creatures that seem to induce a completely different reaction—mainly due to lack of education.

The Spotted moray eel is one of those encountered most often by divers on Turks & Caicos reefs.

One of those creatures is the Moray eel. For some, this serpent-like creature, with its gaping mouth full of sharp teeth, causes anxiety and fear—a very unnecessary reaction brought on by media, movies, and myth. I hope to shed some light on these misunderstood beauties. 

There are more than two hundred species of Moray eels in the world, but only around fifteen of those species in the Caribbean. Of those, there are seven that can be found in the waters of the Turks & Caicos Islands. 

The two most obvious are the Green moray, with its large size and vibrant green skin, along with the Spotted moray, which is smaller and has a distinctive brown and white splotchy pattern. These are the eels that have been encountered most often by divers on our reefs. 

Some of the other morays that are native to TCI, but less commonly sighted, are the Golden Tail, Viper, Purple Mouth, Chain, and (one of my favorites), the Broadbanded moray.

Usually when you encounter a Moray eel it is peering out of a coral head, with its mouth opening and closing. This is commonly misinterpreted as an aggressive posture pre-empting a bite or attack, which couldn’t be further from the truth. This is how they breathe, pushing water through their gills. Eels will usually retreat into their dens if approached too closely—a complete contradiction to them wanting to bite. If you respect their space, you are in no danger from those gnarly-looking chompers. 

Moray eels are quite the charming, velvet, oviparous (producing eggs that develop and hatch outside the maternal body) “sea noodles.” Their mating ritual usually begins with the male and female wrapping their bodies around each other in a slow, graceful dance. (I can hear the music in the background.) Warmer water temperatures tend to ensure successful mating. Then, as if on cue, the female releases thousands of eggs and the male releases his sperm simultaneously into the water, where fertilization occurs. Here’s where the charm ends. As soon as the dance and release are over, so is the romance, and the two go their separate ways.

When you see a moray eel with its mouth opening and closing, it does not mean it plans to bite you, but the eel is simply breathing, pushing water through its gills.

The little eggs are about one millimeter in diameter and will hatch into ribbon-shaped larvae (leptocephali) in about 30–45 days. These tiny ribbons are translucent and look like miniature, gelatinous versions of their adult selves. At this stage they have continuous dorsal, caudal, and anal fins. They will drift independent of their siblings in the open ocean, feeding on zooplankton and small crustations for about eight months.

The limited number of larvae who survive predation for those eight months have gone through a metamorphosis and are now juveniles. During this phase, they settle on the reef and begin their mostly solitary lives. Juveniles have all the same physical characteristics and appearance of adults—they are just smaller in size. 

Once they metamorph into adults, Moray eels have very few predators, but do have to escape predation from grouper, barracuda, sharks, and humans.

Fun fact: Some species of Moray eels are hermaphrodites at birth through the juvenile phase, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs. Their permanent gender will be determined as adults by environmental factors. For example, more stressful environments may produce more females. They can also switch genders to balance the gender ratio to ensure the survival of the species, reaching sexually maturity around three years of age and can live 35 years or more. This means they have many opportunities to produce lots of baby morays! 

This handsome profile is a Green moray, flaunting its size and vibrant green skin. It is often seen on TCI reefs.

Green morays inhabit coral reefs in coastal waters worldwide., They are typically nocturnal, doing the majority of their hunting at night under the cover of darkness, which is where they have the best eyesight. This, along with their incredible sense of smell, gives them amazing survival tools. During the day they tend to stay hidden in their dens conserving energy, with just their heads peering out, waiting for prey to come to them. (Another fun fact is that eels like to sleep on their backs, so if you come across one in this position, please just leave it to its slumber.)

Moray eels don’t just have one set of impressive jaws, but two sets. They have the oral jaw, which is the jaw you see when you look at them, and they have a set of jaws located inside the throat called the pharyngeal jaws. These pharyngeal jaws move forward when the eel grabs prey with its oral jaw and pulls it into their throat. This is a very useful hunting technique to prevent prey from getting away. Morays use this superpower to catch fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods (octopus and squid). 

Instead of seeing nothing more than a toothy serpent, look at their skin, which is thick, silky, and smooth, and secretes a toxin-filled mucus to protect it. A Green moray’s skin is absolutely gorgeous. This also helps them camouflage in the reef amongst the coral and algae. With Green morays reaching more than six feet in length, effective camouflage is crucial when trying to hide that much body. Note: the largest Green moray recorded is eight feet and 65 pounds! 

The Spotted moray eel can be seen out hunting during the day.

Spotted morays, unlike Green morays, are seen out hunting during the day more often. Their yellowish skin is covered with dark brownish-purple mottled spots giving them a unique designer look. 

Even though they can reach lengths of up to six feet, their body mass is much smaller than the Green moray, reaching a maximum weight of around 5.5 pounds. The usual specimens seen in the Turks & Caicos are 3–4 feet in length. A noticeable thing with the Spotted moray is they will often have a Coney guarding the entrance to their den. As a diver approaches, the Coney will move in front of the moray, blocking the sightline to the eel. The fish runs interference for the eel, and the eel provides protection for the fish. They have a mutualistic relationship benefiting both species.

A smaller moray in the TCI is the Goldentail moray. This little beauty reaches maximum lengths of around four feet but is much smaller in circumference. Their gorgeous purpleish brown skin is covered in golden-yellow spots. One of the easiest ways to spot them in the reef is their pure white mouth. As they are breathing, that brilliant white inside their mouths shows up against the colors of the reef, catching a passerby’s eye. They are very shy, but if you move slowly and don’t approach too close, you will get to see the delicate detail in their markings.

This is a Broadbanded moray. Note how the lower jaw protudes past the top jaw, making it look like the face opens at the hinge.

One of my favorite eels is the Broadbanded moray. These odd little eels are different from the other morays. Their pretty little eyes sit more forward on their small head and their lower jaw protrudes past their top jaw, so when they are breathing it looks like their entire face opens at the hinge. They have broad tan and olive bands around their bodies from behind their head to their tail and their bodies are thick. 

In the Turks & Caicos, I have seen two of these gems, a male and a female. Some divers believe that Benny, the one I visited every week in the same coral head, was a myth. You have to know where you are looking and how to look in his den because he is quite shy. One day I approached his coral head, peered in, and to my surprise saw two “Bennys” wrapped around each other. I was stunned to say the least, but not as startled as they were considering I startled them in the midst of a romantic afternoon. They remained there for several hours, but the next day Benny was a bachelor again. Now I believe that his date is the Broadbanded moray that lives east of Benny’s home. I really love this odd little creature and hope to have more little Muppet sea noodles taking up residence here! 

`My hope is that as people are snorkeling or diving the reefs of the Turks & Caicos, they will slow down and observe just how amazing the Moray eels are, instead of being afraid of them. If you ever have the honor of seeing one out swimming, it’s like watching satin flowing in the wind; fluid and rhythmic. The way they glide over the reef is mesmerizing.

Morays are also an important part of the reef’s ecosystem. They are considered to be top predators and help maintain balance by controlling the populations of smaller fish and invertebrates. They also help by creating hiding spots for prey. So they hunt, and they give back, which promotes biodiversity, contributing to a healthier reef, which our oceans need to survive. 

Take your time, slow down, and observe all the amazing creatures that inhabit the underwater world. It will enrich your life! Turks & Caicos IS “Beautiful by Nature.”