- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold green moray eel, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the green moray eel
The green moray is a large moray eel found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from Long Island, New York, to Bermuda, the northern Gulf of Mexico and Brazil, at depths down to 40 m. Reaching up to 2.5 m in length, it is the largest moray of the tropical Atlantic and one of the largest known. Its green colour comes from a protective layer of mucus, while the skin beneath is darker. Tracking of eels in a mangrove estuary showed they are mostly nocturnal, with home ranges averaging 5.8 hectares. It eats fish and crabs, and its flesh can cause ciguatera fish poisoning, so it is typically not eaten.
Green Moray Eel facts
- The eel's green colour comes from a mucus layer secreted by goblet cells, and the skin beneath is darker, as preserved specimens show.
- Brazilian snapper appear to recruit green morays to join them as they hunt among mangroves.
- In a St. Croix study, six tracked eels left their bay for offshore reefs, each making the move in a single night.
- The common name is sometimes also used for the yellow moray.
Where to see green moray eel in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding green moray eel by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
Missouri· 1
North Carolina· 1
Tennessee· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
