Subject:
Two Yellowmouth Morays (Gymnothorax nudivomer) are sharing a small overhang with a Yellowmargin Moray (Gymnothorax flavimarginatus). It is not unusual for Moray Eels to share their hideouts with other fish species, and they don’t even have to be moray eel species.
In fact, it is more likely that different individuals from the same species would not get along when sharing the same hideout. Apparently, moray eels tolerate other moray eel species better than their own because individuals of the same species are probably seen as rivals.
It is not unusual for bigger morays to share their shelter with shark species like the Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) and nurse shark species (Nurse Shark/Ginglymostoma cirratum and the Pacific Nurse Shark/Ginglymostoma unami).
Moray eels do sometimes get involved in serious fights. When this happens, both individuals circle around each other to finally curl together with their bodies in a biting fight. This behaviour is called “knotting.” When two individuals of the same species clash, their wounds are often superficial, but when the fight occurs between two moray eels of different species, the smaller of the two often ends up mortally wounded. In these lethal fights, the loser risks getting eaten by the larger one, a feeding behavior considered as cannibalism.
Moray eels are usually found in a den during the daytime. Overhangs, holes, and cracks in the reef make good hideouts. During nighttime, the moray eel leaves its den to go on the hunt for small fish, crustaceans, and octopus, its favourite food.
Just like in this video, hideouts often host several cleaner shrimp; sometimes, different species can be seen. While most fish species visit cleaning stations, moray eels prefer to keep their cleaners in their close vicinity. In this short underwater videoclip, we see two different species of cleaner shrimp. On the left side, two Banded Coral Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) with their long white antennae can be observed, and on the right, a much smaller Clear Cleaner Shrimp (Urocaridella antonbruunii) is venturing around the chin of the moray eel to take up its duty as a cleaner. Sometimes, different species of cleaner shrimp engage in disputes over which shrimp gets the best pickings.
Technique:
To focus attention on the moray eels, a subtle vignette mask was added in post-production. As a rule of thumb, if you choose to add a vignette to your footage or to a particular scene, do not make it too obvious. The best vignette is the one that you do not see.
I also increased the contrast a bit to make the image a little crisper, an edit I apply to all of my images. Here, the same rule applies; do not overdo it. If your contrast is too big, black lines and shadows will form, ruining your video.
Finally, I chose to add a kind of eerie music tune, just to emphasise the unjustified fright they exhibit. Although moray eels are mostly gentle and misunderstood creatures, they often evoke fear in the minds of scuba divers. Their big, gaping mouths with needle-long teeth can strike a certain form of anxiety in the inexperienced scuba diver.
Filming location:
This short underwater videoclip has been filmed in Mauritius 🇲🇺
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