The Fangtooth Moray, also known as Tiger Moray or Bird-eye conger, is a species in the family of Muraenidae and therefore part of the order of the Anguilliformes.
Description
The basic colour of the Fangtooth Moray is dark brown to black. Enchelycore anatina has large, yellow spots scattered over the body, with the head being almost completely yellow. Its body is really long and snakelike. The mouth is large, and the mouth gap reaches behind its black eyes. The teeth of the Tiger Moray are long, glazed and visible through the curved jaws even when the mouth is closed.
Its maximum length is about 120cm.
Habitat and Distribution
Enchelycore anatina lives in holes, crevices and caves of rocky reefs at depths between 10 and 50 meters. When diving around the Canary Islands you can observe them quite frequently, during a night dive even swimming around. Furthermore the Tiger Moray is commonly found in the north-east Atlantic. Among other Islands it is distributed around the Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde, Saint Helena, the coast of Portugal and the Mediterranean Sea.
Biology
The Fangtooth Moray is a nocturnal hunter and feeds mainly on crustaceans and small fish. As Enchelycore anatina often remains hidden in holes during the day, it pumps fresh water through its gills by opening and closing its mouth.