Leopard Moray Eel is a marine eel belonging to the Muraenidae family. It’s also called Tiger Moray Eel or Dragon Moray. This eel lives in the Indo-Pacific oceans.
Leopard Moray Eel is mostly active at night and likes hiding places. Because of this, it’s not seen often.
Its diet mainly consists of other fish and small cephalopods like squid. This eel isn’t safe for coral reefs due to its predatory nature on other aquatic lifeforms.
Leopard Moray Eel Interesting Facts
- Leopard Moray Eel inhabits Indo-Pacific coral and rocky reefs, reaching lengths of up to 36.2 inches (92.0 centimeters).
- This nocturnal eel has a unique appearance with narrow curved jaws, long tubular nostrils, and striking coloration.
- It feeds primarily on other fish and small cephalopods like squid.
- Although it lives in reef environments, its predatory nature makes it potentially harmful to other aquatic lifeforms.
Leopard Moray Eel Habitat
Leopard Moray Eel is a marine eel found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Its habitat range stretches from Reunion Island to Hawaii, the Line and Society Islands, and includes southern Japan, southern Korea, and New Caledonia.
This tropical eel lives in reef environments at depths of 8 to 60 meters (26 to 197 feet).
| Water Temperature: | Unknown |
| Water pH: | Unknown |
| Water Hardness: | Unknown |
Leopard Moray Eel Physical Characteristics
Size: 36.2 inches (92.0 centimeters)
Leopard Moray Eel grows up to 36.2 inches (92.0 centimeters) long.
It has a brownish-orange color with narrow dark brown bars, white spots with dark edges, and small black spots on its head and body.
The body depth at the gill opening is between 10 to 16 times its total length (TL). The dorsal fin starts before the gill opening, and the anus is located near the middle of its body.
The combined length of the head and trunk (preanal length) is about 2.1 to 2.3 times of TL.
Leopard Moray Eel has slender jaws with visible long canine teeth when seen from the side.
There are two rows of teeth in each jaw – an outer row with small, sharp teeth close to the inner row canines, and a median row at the front of the upper jaw containing three elongated canines.
It also has unique nostrils – an elongated tubular shape for its anterior nostril and a very long tube-like shape for its posterior nostril above the eye’s front area.
Leopard Moray Eel Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Muraenidae |
| Genus: | Enchelycore |
| Scientific Name: | Enchelycore pardalis |
| Also Known As: | Leopard Moray Eel, Tiger Moray Eel, Dragon Moray |
| Conservation Status: | Least Concern |