Leopard moray eel

Leopard moray eel
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Muraenidae
Genus:	Enchelycore
Species:	E. pardalis
Binomial name
Enchelycore pardalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)

Leopard moray eel

The leopard moray eel (Enchelycore pardalis), also known as the tiger moray eel or dragon moray, is a species of moray eel.^[1] called puhi-kauila in Hawaiian, is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae

Distribution and habitat

The leopard moray eel is widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific oceans from Réunion to the Hawaiian, Line and Society Islands, north to southern Japan, southern Korea, and south to New Caledonia.^[1] The Leopard Moray eel inhabits coral and rocky reefs from shallow coastal waters to deeper reef slopes between 5 and 60 m in depth. .^[2] It typically shelters in reef crevices during the day and hunts for prey at night

Description

It grows up to 92 cm in length^[3] and is characterized by its narrow, curved jaws, vivid red stripes on the head, and elongated tubular nostrils. It is primarily nocturnal and has a preference for cryptic habitats, it is seldom seen. Feeding primarily on fishes and small cephalopods.^[4]

Dragon moray eel at the Vancouver Aquarium

At the Sea Life Centre, Hannover, Germany