Moray Eels, and a Moray + Grouper hunting pair

[keigo70]

Took this video while free-diving/snorkeling in Anilao, Batangas in the Philippines.

Encountered two different species of moray during these dives: the starry moray (Echidna nebulosa) and the greyface moray (Gymnothorax thyrsoideus).

I even caught the greyface moray participating in what looked like a cooperative hunt with a peacock grouper (Cephalopholis argus)--behavior that has been documented in other species of morays and groupers, in other parts of the world. Shame I wasn't able to follow this pair for much longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXT9jugmfC0

 

[PatW]

I saw the cooperative hunting with a green moray, a tiger grouper and a Nassau grouper at Little Cayman. I gather that fish go into holes in coral heads to escape the grouper and the moray goes in after them while the grouper wait outside. Obviously, it leaves the fish between a rock and a hard place.

 

[Asteve]

Saw this in Cozumel last week and asked the DM about it. He said the moray was hunting, the grouper was there to try to steal anything the moray got. He said he had seen it many time and the 2 would fight over a fish.

 

[keigo70]

Based on your accounts, it seems like a variety of different moray and grouper species from different parts of the world participate in this coordinated hunting activity!

The original scientific paper documenting this behavior, featuring pairings of giant morays (Gymnothorax javanicus) and groupers (Plectropomus pessuliferus) in the Red Sea, can be found here: PLOS Biology: Interspecific Communicative and Coordinated Hunting between Groupers and Giant Moray Eels in the Red Sea

Though I wonder--did the groupers you guys encountered exhibit the "head shaking" motion (as described in the above paper) that serves as a form of communication to initiate the hunt?

I guess sometimes the head shaking can be missed, especially when the pair is encountered while already in the process of hunting.

 

[drbill]

I've watched kelp (or calico) bass here in SoCal following morays to grab at the blacksmith and other small fish that the morays scare out into the open. A little unusual example of shadowing... usually a predator shadows behind an herbivorous or coral feeding fish

 

[Steve_C]

Watched a big green moray and a large grouper hunt together for several minutes on Molasses reef off Key Largo. Believe the grouper was a Nassau but would have to look up an old photo to be sure.