A moray has a long, snake-like body with no scales. Moray eels live in tropical seas, on coral reefs and rocky reefs. As of November 2026, scientists count about 200 species.

The green moray lives in the western Atlantic Ocean, from New Jersey and Bermuda to the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil. It usually lives in water shallower than 30 meters, or about 100 feet. The California moray lives along the Pacific coast, from Point Conception, California, south to Magdalena Bay, Baja California.

Moray eels come in many sizes. As of November 2026, these sizes are reported. The giant moray is reported to reach about 3 meters long and can weigh up to 30 kilograms. The green moray can reach 2.5 meters and weigh up to 29 kilograms. The California moray can grow to about 5 feet, or 1.5 meters.

Most moray eels hunt at night. A moray has tube-shaped nostrils on its snout, and it uses them to smell. Smell is its strongest sense, and it uses smell to find food.

A moray often hides in a crack in the rocks with only its head showing. A moray can swim backward almost as well as forward, which helps it back into a crevice.

Many moray eels have sharp teeth. Moray teeth differ. Some morays have sharp, fang-like teeth, and others have low, blunt teeth for crushing. Morays eat fish, octopuses and crustaceans. The California moray eats small reef fish, octopuses, shrimps and crabs.

Unlike many fish, a moray cannot pull in prey with strong suction. It has a second set of jaws in its throat. It can also tie its body into a knot to get leverage when it eats.

A green moray is really dark brown. Yellow slime on its skin makes it look green, and the slime helps protect it from parasites.

Red rock shrimp clean a California moray's skin of dead skin and parasites. The shrimp are protected from predators by living in the moray's crevice.

Morays lay eggs. A baby moray is a see-through, leaf-shaped larva called a leptocephalus. A young moray first drifts in open water as a larva before it settles near the bottom.

Words to know

• nostrils: nose holes
• crevice: narrow crack
• larva: young form
• predators: hunting animals