Cannibalism in Moray Eels?

[tursiops]

Thank you @tursiops The event I witness was also conspecific. One of my questions was whether this was always intra-species or also occurred between different species. The data from the article suggests that this is relatively uncommon. Have you ever witnessed this phenomenon?

Thank you @cgillis that, along with the reply by @waves_221 answers the question regarding intra and inter-species, which I assume would not be called cannibalism.

I suspect it gets a little fuzzy. Many distinct species are rather similar, and those eating may not really know the difference. Morays, in particular, have terrible eyesight. On the other side, there is lots of evidence that some fishes will only eat those conspecific fish to whom they are not related.

 

[scubadada]

I don't know whether cannibalism occurs among the Speckled Moray Eels in Malpelo, but their behavior is much different than any other place I have visited. There is a huge number of these eels, often in close proximity, even touching each other, resting, swimming, and hunting together, often along with fish, especially Leather Bass.

 

[cgills]

One would wonder as well whether this behavior has become prevalent due to the introduction of another fierce competitor on the reefs in the Caribbean, the Lionfish. and the lack of available food source.

 

[tarponchik]

I haven't witnessed such behavior myself but I believe it has been well documented. JP Hoover's book on Hawaiian fishes has a pic of Tiger Moray swallowing a Slendertail Moray, for example. On the other hand, I've seen moray eels peacefully resting in one hole side by side, be it a pair of Giant Morays or an Undulated with a Yellowmargin, etc. The requirement for peace, it seems, is that the eels must be of about the same size. Since morays do not bite their prey but swallow it whole it makes no sense for them to attack something that's too big to swallow.

 

[Vicko]

Med Moray, Muraena helena will often eat younger morays in distress, we see them often on long lines stuck with a small moray in it's throat. But I have never seen a moray in the wild that was attacked by another moray, and I dive around a lot of them. They will bite everything else smaller then them, including groupers and congers.