They are NOT snakes. Moray eels are not reptiles; they have nothing to do with snakes, vipers, pythons, pit vipers, and even less with turtles and sea snakes. They belong to a totally different family: moray eels are fish.

“But they look like naughty snakes!” I hear someone saying.

They are not even “naughty”, despite their looks and their facial expressions. Unfortunately, our tendency as humans is to “humanise” things, animals and ideas – a typical anthropocentrism which has led the human race to depict, even deities, with arms and legs, faces and beards; Beautiful Venuses and Dianes. On second thought though, most of those statues came out without a head at all... Just joking of course, this was just a way to introduce the unpleasant expressions of a moray eels.

This poor fish, repeat, fish, is an animal (as fish are no vegetables) that is utterly shy. It is a predator that cherishes the cosy and secure atmosphere of hollows, pits and small caves in the reef system.

The moray eel shares this preference with the groupers, but they don’t share the same territory. Groupers and moray eels are rivals who fight for the same preys, habitat and small spaces.

Very often here in the Red Sea we witness scenes resembling a hilarious cartoon: mullets try to attract moray eels with their “moustaches”; the moray eel abandons its post; then it finds a new hiding place and in doing so it drives out other preys who will escape or attack and on and so on until a hectic crowd of caranxes, groupers and Napoleons end up mixing in a furious escape for the delight of those out looking for lunch, often, some shellfish.

I know a couple of people who have been bitten by a moray eel. I can assure you that they were really looking for it. The “lady of the pits” is not exactly an aggressive animal, but its shyness might make it react as a frightened fish. The moray eel typically opens and closes the mouth, beware that this is not a threat but just its natural way of breathing. It prefers, as most fish do, a slow serene approach that doesn’t make it feel as endangered. When a moray eel is approached by a human being in this quiet way, it relaxes and let’s you observe it from very close quarters, while opening and closing the gills behind the mouth (much like a jet’s exhaust!) and being groomed by tiny cleaner shrimps. That is the moment when you can take home a brilliant picture of the animal.

Another good opportunity to observe them is when they come out from their den. They swim with a peculiar grace, always close to the reef, ready to hide in the nearest hole. They don’t move in a winding manner as sea snakes do. The sea snakes, very rare in the northern Red Sea, swim in an almost whirling manner. Moray eels move like models shaking their hips.

Like most predators, cats included, moray eels are particularly active at night: they more often come out from their dens in the darkness to search for dinner around the reef. They are typically territorial and always go back to the same den, unless the place happens to be too frequently disturbed by groupers or human beings. If this happens, moray eels will find another dwelling, to the utter disappointment of diving guides and divers still certain of finding it in the same place.

Moray eels only mate once per year, in winter. During the mating dance moray eels sometimes resemble the symbol of Asclepius, the symbol of medicine: two intertwined ascending snakes.

“Giuseppina” was a very famous moray eel at Yolanda Reef, inside the National Park of Ras Mohammed in Sharm el Sheikh. She was a beautiful specimen of Giant Moray Eel (Gymnotorax Javanicus), and she was used to the affectionate cuddles of divers. She was so used to be touched that never ever showed any sign of aggressiveness. Nevertheless, this is a rare case; she was a Diva for all, but an example not to be imitated. Where Giuseppina is now nobody knows, she went missing a couple of years ago and it is possible that she just passed away, she was of a certain age anyhow. As all adult moray eels of her species, she was around two metres long, and had a beautiful massive head, olive-green coloured skin with darkish leopard-like spots that, with a closer look, were of a deep violet.

Another kind of moray eel dwelling in the Red Sea is the grey or geometric morays (Siderea grisea). Smaller in size, this species is consequently much shyer than its big cousin. To be able to observe them, one must swim very slowly near holes and dens in the reef, especially those with a sandy bottom. Their grey coat dotted with tiny black spots allows for a good mimicry in the coral sands. They are thus quite difficult to spot, by both divers and predators.

The grey morays are a favourite target of mullets, who easily oust them from their dens. However, their small size helps them easily find other hiding places. They are a more difficult subject to take pictures of, because of its elusive character and shyness. Only very rarely will a grey moray pose for a photo-shoot. It moves and escapes much easily than the bigger and confident giant moray eel.

It is quite easy to spot this FISH in our Red Sea waters, but it is a matter of knowing their...latest address.