Interesting Green Moray Eel Behaviour

[MMM]

Yesterday at La Francesca I saw an interesting Behaviour by a green moray eel that I haven't ever seen previously. It was out swimming and every now and again (I saw it happen 3 times) it would zoom onto a coral head and rub the side of its head against it for a second or two. Kind of like how my dogs rub their face whiskers on the carpet after they have had a bath. Someone else on the dive said they saw a nearby grouper do the same thing but I will admit I was so busy photographing the eel (no pics of this Behaviour) that I didn't see the grouper. I would have read the eel the park rules about touching things in the Marine Park, but alas it swam away before I could do so. Anyone know what this was about? Just a little itch that needed scratching?

 

[beaverdivers]

Marking their territory??

 

[deborahdelamar]

Rubbing is a common eel nuclear hunting behavior. Generally, if the fish are well matched (a graysby and spotted moray or a surgeonfish and little goldentail, as examples, the fish will rub as a sign of cooperation. (The bony fish approaches the eel.) I've also heard that the large groupers will nod their heads at eels and it means the same thing. In this case, maybe something (divers?) prevented the grouper from approaching the eel and the eel was signaling its intent to the grouper an alternate way. But who knows for sure if that was it...

 

[t-mac]

Rubbing is a common eel nuclear hunting behavior. Generally, if the fish are well matched (a graysby and spotted moray or a surgeonfish and little goldentail, as examples, the fish will rub as a sign of cooperation. (The bony fish approaches the eel.) I've also heard that the large groupers will nod their heads at eels and it means the same thing. In this case, maybe something (divers?) prevented the grouper from approaching the eel and the eel was signaling its intent to the grouper an alternate way. But who knows for sure if that was it...

Cool! What do you suppose they were hunting? Divers?

 

[MMM]

Rubbing is a common eel nuclear hunting behavior. Generally, if the fish are well matched (a graysby and spotted moray or a surgeonfish and little goldentail, as examples, the fish will rub as a sign of cooperation. (The bony fish approaches the eel.) I've also heard that the large groupers will nod their heads at eels and it means the same thing. In this case, maybe something (divers?) prevented the grouper from approaching the eel and the eel was signaling its intent to the grouper an alternate way. But who knows for sure if that was it...

Fascinating. I had to Google nuclear hunting behaviour though!

 

[Brules]

Was hoping you would say you saw a moray hunting and eating lionfish!

 

[RonFrank]

Eels hunting with Grouper is common behavior. Interesting the corporation does not extend after the kill. It is a free for all once it's time to eat. That Eel is 6' or more. So that's not a small Eel rather a big Grouper!

 

[robint]

I have seen eel - grouper nuclear hunting a few times and it is fun to watch.

In fact, in Bonaire a few years ago I watched a sharptail eel hunting with 3-4 coneys. The coneys were happy to sit back and let the eel stir up food from the bottom, then rush in a grab a bite, then sit back again. This went on for my whole safety stop, they couldn't care less that I was right there watching them either! I think I got it on video, too, I will have to go back and look.

robin

edit: haha.......... found it, it is at the 1 minute mark on this video. Sorry for the crappy quality, this was before HD. And this is Bonaire, not Cozumel.. but it shows the nuclear hunting behavior.
[vimeo]1225039[/vimeo]

robin