Zebra Moray

The zebra moray is the only species in the genus Gymnomuraena, within the moray family Muraenidae. Its serpentine body is ringed with narrow pale bands over a dark brown ground, and its snout is short and rounded. Unusually for a moray, its jaws hold no fangs but rows of blunt, pebble-like plates built to crush shells. It reaches 150 cm, though most individuals stay closer to 50 cm. Its range spans the Indo-Pacific and eastern Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii, the Galápagos and the American coast. Benthic and nocturnal, it lives on the rocky and coral bottoms of coastal reefs between 3 and 50 m, often shallower than 4 m, wedged in crevices by day and emerging after dark to hunt xanthid crabs, molluscs and sea urchins. Peaceful towards fish, which it lacks the dentition to seize, it is nonetheless lethal to shrimp and crabs. Keep it alone in a dedicated tank of at least 800 litres, long rather than tall, with caves deep enough to conceal the whole body, secured rockwork and a weighted lid: escape is the first risk. Feed firm meaty foods by tongs once or twice a week. Hardy and long-lived, but messy enough to demand oversized filtration. Breeding is unknown in captivity.