This creature may appear menacing; however, it is only opening its mouth to breathe.  Goldentail moray eels will continuously open and close their mouths as a requirement of their respiration process. These eels don’t have bony gill covers like a fish would have. Instead, goldentail eels use their mouth to pump water across the gills and out through two openings they have behind their head. Where can you find a goldentail moray eel? These eels are found on both Florida coasts, the Bahamas, and throughout the Caribbean. This photograph is from the Florida Keys. 

Goldentail moray eel behavior

Goldentail moray eels are easily approachable, and do not react aggressively towards divers. The habitat for goldentail eels is typically shallow reef structure that allows them somewhere to hide. Typically, these eels are found in less than 50 feet of water. As the name suggests, the tip of the tail of this eel is golden/yellow in color. They have an anguilliform body plan where the dorsal fin and caudal fin connect into one enormous tail. The rest of the body coloration is as it appears in this photo. The body is a shade of brown with irregular yellow spots that cover the entirety of the body.  Sometimes this color profile is reversed and the main body color is a shade of yellow with brown spots. Their intense yellow eyes are hard to miss. You may note the small nostrils coming out of its nose. Morays are not known for their eyesight, but rather their impressive sense of smell. The mouth of a goldentail eel is white in color. Their teeth are angled backward so not to allow anything to escape. Unlike other eel species, morays like this eel actually have two rows of teeth.