Dragon moray

Enchelycore pardalis

Also known as Leopard moray, Japanese dragon eel, Hawaiian dragon eel, Tiger moray

SaltwaterFish

Dragon moray (Enchelycore pardalis) — harum.koh from Kobe city, Japan · CC BY-SA 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 8.0–8.4
Adult size: 35.4 in (90 cm)
Minimum tank: 180 gal (680 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Reef safe: Reef safe with caution
Origin: Native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, especially around Japan and Hawaii, living in rocky reef caves and crevices.
Family: Muraenidae

Overview

House a single dragon moray in a fish-only tank of at least 680 litres with heavy rockwork, a large cave and an escape-proof lid, since morays are champion escape artists. Keep it at 22 to 26 C and pH 8.0 to 8.4 with strong filtration. It leaves corals alone but eats fish, shrimp and crabs, so keep only large, unswallowable tankmates. Feed chunks of fresh marine fish, squid and shrimp on a feeding stick two or three times a week and keep hands well clear of the mouth.

In the wild

The dragon moray is one of the most striking eels in the hobby, patterned in orange, red, white and black with raised tube-like nostrils and jaws that never fully close over its hooked teeth. It is an aggressive ambush hunter that lunges from a cave to seize prey. Adults reach around 90 cm and are pure muscle.

Good to know

Enchelycore pardalis has curved, non-closing jaws lined with long recurved teeth built to hold onto slippery fish. Its raised front nostrils extend into horn-like tubes that give it the dragon look. Like most morays it has poor eyesight and hunts largely by smell.

Did you know

The hooked, permanently open jaws of a dragon moray are not just for show, they let it grip struggling fish so securely that prey almost never wriggles free once seized.