Are green morey eels docile?

I was under the impression all morey eels should be treated as dangerous when threatened or you get to close to them. But I have now seen 2 pictures of divers holding them or being extremely close to them.

http://www.scubacontest.com/photocontest/d...hp?IDPhoto=1053

Can anyone shed some light on this?

They are wild and unpredictable animals. They do get used to humans when fed, but that doesn't mean they won't attack. Stingrays were also considered "docile", yet there are lots of photos of people very close to them...

a photo says a thousand words .. i believe they are friendly ... but they are scared without previous interaction and experience.

Another factor, I understand, is that in general, morays don't have great eyesight, making it easy for them to interpret a situation as threatening, or to mistake a finger for a tasty fish, etc.

I remember seeing video footage years ago of (I think) Valery Taylor cuddling a giant moray at (I think) a site in the Banda Islands. In any case, the events of this week should be a reminder that being close to marine animals carries risks.

Robert

Well, here is part of an article published recently (2004) at the Journal of the Wilderness Medical Society:

"Very little is known regarding the behavioral pattern of adult moray eels, but smaller eels will avoid confrontation and retreat when approached. When they do attack, the wound is inflicted by fanglike teeth and vicelike jaws that lock. It is sometimes necessary to kill an eel or disarticulate its jaws to release its grip. The roof of a green moray eel's mouth is equipped with a third row of teeth, which help grasp prey. We do not know of any fatalities to have been reported. Most injuries tend to occur when divers insert their hands into holes occupied by eels or when the eels are attracted by freshly cut fish that the divers carry into the water. Consequently, hands tend to be the region most commonly bitten. A growing trend of sport divers engaging in hand feeding will undoubtedly lead to an increased number of incidents.

Although little evidence implicates moray eels as indiscriminate predators, an increased awareness among both emergency-treating personnel and ocean users of the potential severity of moray eel bites should minimize the risk of encounters. Recreational divers entering waters populated by moray eels should be cautioned to avoid direct contact. Since the attack on this diver, two subsequent scuba divers from the same region have sustained hand injuries from moray eels. Because little is known to explain why moray eels occasionally bite divers, the accumulation of information from these encounters should continue. This knowledge will enable us to better understand the motivations of these creatures and subsequently minimize the threat of dangerous encounters."

The full article is here where they describe a case of an attack in Cuba:

http://www.wemjournal.org/wmsonline/?reque...3&page=0194

Luiz

I have heard/read several reports of morey eels attacking when being fed. Even eels that seem completely docile can turn on you, often unintentional. Like was said before, their eyesight isnt that great so a mistake is easily made. One report I read some years ago caused significant facial damage to the person that was attacked.

I dont get people that want to play with wild animals. Too many darwin award possibilities there..

Cor

How about this simple to follow rule:

DON'T TOUCH ANY MARINE LIFE

How about this simple to follow rule:

 

DON'T TOUCH ANY MARINE LIFE

How Boring ... touching is an essential part of our senses, it makes every experience much more real ... howver I do not advocate touching without education.

i have seen two people bit my morays.

one was an unfortunate incident of putting your reef hook in the wrong hole....

the other was someone who thought it would be interesting to pull the tail of the moray while the moray had its head stuck out of the other side of the rock.... hahahaha.. not smart! many stitches....

Giles thats a big thing you have between your legs!

As a general rule if a marine species moves slowly enough to allow you to touch it, there is usually a good reason for its nonchalance.

Earlier in the year I gave some pictures for a school project of a kid who got his arm slashed up by a green moray.

Alex

Giles thats a big thing you have between your legs!

it's underwater .. 4 times bigger and closer .. it's really not that big .. aah i miss physco !

Green moray eels, especially the very large ones, are very friendly in Mauritius. They'll come and rub against your legs like dogs.

I used to be rather complacent about playing with them. They are wild animals, though, and after hearing of some "freak accidents", I now limit all interaction to taking shots of them...

Well this thread certainly turned out to be educational. I think I will stick to taking pictures of them, I prefer to keep my fingers intact!

Ahh the story about the guy pulling the tail of the moray while the moray had its head stuck out of the other side of the rock........now that's funny!

Just one little note. Animals often act quite differently when they are injured, pregnant, mating, or feeding. My daughter raised two very docile minature lops (rabbits). I got bit twice by the female rabbit in 6 years. Both times she was pregnant and we didn't know. Although no scientific evidence to back this up, I've always believed animals in the ocean to be no different. Maternal instincts and macho males could probably lead to some nasty wounds to an unsuspecting diver.

What you also need to remember is that it is not only the large green morays you need to be worried about. I have seen a guide take down a bit of fish to feed other fish with, whilst something else has her attention, one of those cute little morays with the white eyes came out to check out the free food... Now here's the bit to beware of, moray eels grab hold of their prey, don't usually like to let go too often, then what they do is twist like crazy, pulling their body round and away from the prey untill a chunk of flesh comes off, this is then food -- yum yum!

I think it's nuts when guides go down and hold morays, it's only a matter of time I reckon! Morays really are unpredictable animals and like all other animals should be treated with great respect!

That picture was taken at stingray city/sandbar on Grand Cayman. The stingrays are fed by people brought by commercial trips as "tourist entertainment". The local morays have figured out that the stingrays have a good thing going and have started showing up too. Due the the lack of cover and the fact that the morays have to be in the open, leads them to be a bit touchy. As a result, there have been some horrific bites from these critters there. The "tourists" have no idea, mostly, what they are risking. You can't blame the morays, but people who handle them, as the person in the picture, sure do not help the matter any.

Yea, it may be big, but it's green, so Giles better go see a doctor!!

i wouldnt touch a bear if it sat next to me.

I just discovered that this 6 foot morey eel "psycho" at Stingray City has attacked divers in the past and now they are looking to relocate it. He nearly took one kids arm off last year. Check this article out.

http://www.cdnn.info/news/safety/s050517a.html

I was also reading on this site since Steve Irwins death, the tourism to Stingray City has dropped 60-100%.

http://www.cdnn.info/news/travel/t061008.html