Giant Moray.

The giant moray is the largest of the Moray eels, in terms of body mass.

Range

The giant moray is widespread in the Indo-Pacific region, being found in the Red Sea and East Africa, the Pitcairn group, north to the Ryukyu and Hawaiian islands, south to New Caledonia and the Austral Islands.

Description

As the name suggests, this is a large eel, reaching up to 300 cm (9.8 ft) in length and 30 kg (66.1 lbs) in weight. While juveniles are tan in colour with large black spots, adults have black specks that grade into leopard-like spots behind the head and a black area surrounding the gill opening.

Diet

Primarily crustaceans.

Habitat

Found in lagoons and seaward reefs.

Hazards

This species may be hazardous to humans in two ways:
•    Being at the top of the food chain it is likely to cause ciguatera poisoning if eaten.
•    It has been implicated in provoked and unprovoked attacks on scuba divers.