Zebra Moray, Gymnomuraena zebra

Zebra Moray, Gymnomuraena zebra. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, April 2015. Length: 56 cm (22 inches). Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Zebra Moray Eel, Gymnomuraena zebra. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Zebra Moray, Gymnomuraena zebra. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, August 2019. Photographs courtesy of Maude Jette, Dive Zihuantanejo,   www.Divezihuantanejo.com.

Zebra Moray, Gymnomuraena zebra. Underwater photographs taken in coastal waters off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 2023. Photographs courtesy of Kevin Erwin, Seattle, Washington.

Note: I personally have had only one encounter with a Zebra Moray. It was in December 2007, at El Tule Tidal Pools, Km 17, Baja California Sur, and occurred mid-afternoon and lasted about 30 minutes. The fish was about 46 cm (18 inches) in length and my objective was to collect him for a photo shoot. He was about 9 m (30 feet) from the closed end of tidal slough and I was able to get him with a stick up onto dry land for about two minutes at which time he reversed direction and I whiffed with my bait net. He ended up under some large coral rocks and wouldn’t come out. Based on my experiences with live eels in general and due to concerns about getting bitten, which might include poisonous venom, I was unable to convince myself this was a good time to go into hand-to-hand gorilla combat with this guy as he was much larger than my normal foes.

The Zebra Moray, Gymnomuraena zebra, is a member of the Moray and Snake Moray Eel or Muraenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as morena cebra. Globally, there is only one species in the genus Gymnomuraena, this species which is found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Zebra Moray has a robust, elongated, and compressed body that tapers gradually to a blunt tail. They are covered with a thick yellow mucus. They have a dark red-brown coloration with more than 100 narrow vertical white bands, about 35% of which are broken, that run from the tip of their nose to the tip of their tail and occur about every 2 cm. Their head has a short round snout and a large mouth equipped with flat plate-like teeth utilized for crushing hard shells. Their anal, caudal, and dorsal fins are continuous and extend from before the gill covers on the back to the anus. A unique feature of this eel is their very short tail that measures approximately 33% of total length. They do not have pectoral fins, pelvic fins or scales.

The Zebra Moray is a benthic species found in shallow coastal reef environments at depths up to 40 m (130 feet). They are slow-growing and reach a maximum of 1.5 m (4 feet 11 inches) in length but are normally half that length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.57 kg (1 lb 4 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Hawaii in June 2010. They are found isolated, in pairs or in small schools. They are seen by divers tucked into crevices with only their head exposed. They are very secretive being active nighttime predators that consume crustaceans, mollusks, and sea urchins. They have poor eyesight and a keen sense of smell. They open and close their mouth frequently for respiration. Reproduction has been poorly studied but is believed to occur via protogynous hermaphroditism, whereby females transition to males at midlife. Their eggs are pelagic. The Zebra Moray is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Zebra Moray is widely distributed in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. In Mexican waters, their distribution is limited to Baja California Sur, along the east coast from Loreto southward to Cabo San Lucas. They are also found along the coast of the mainland from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, southward to Guatemala.

The Zebra Moray is easy to identify and cannot be confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective the Zebra Moray is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are considered at risk due to coral reef degradation and coastal habitat destruction caused by human development. They are is a popular aquarium fish that command high prices. They are docile and elegant but require large tanks with crevices for hiding and moderate care. They are known as escape artists. Although visually intimidating, they are actually very timid, will seldom bite humans, and are considered harmless to humans. They are also consumed by artisanal fishermen.