Fishes - Australian Museum Fish Site

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Giant Moray
Gymnothorax javanicus (Bleeker, 1859)

Giant Moray
A Giant Moray at a depth of 15m, Pulau Redan, Malaysia, April 2001. View larger image.

The Giant Moray is mostly brown with dark brown spots. The head is yellow to brown and the gill opening is surrounded by a black blotch.

This species is the largest of all the Indo-Pacific morays, growing to 2.5m in length.

The Giant Moray is normally not a concern for divers, however it should never be provoked. It is a large, powerful fish with long canine teeth that can inflict serious wounds. Randall (1969) reported an attack on Vernon Brock, who speared a Giant Moray in Hawaii (more information).

The Giant Moray is found in tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific.

In Australia it is recorded from north-western Western Australia, around the tropical north, and south to southern Queensland.

View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.

Further reading

  1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
  2. Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
  3. Böhlke, E.B. & J.E. McCosker. 2001. The moray eels of Australia and New Zealand, with the description of two new species (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae). Records of the Australian Museum. 53(1): 71-102.
  4. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  5. Randall, J.E. 1969. How Dangerous is the Moray Eel? Australian Natural History. June 1969: 177-182.
  6. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
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