Mediterranean moray

Photo: arseniivesnin · CC BY-NC

Muraena helena reaches 1.3 m and is a keystone predator on Mediterranean reef systems, controlling populations of small fish and crustaceans that shelter in wreck crevices. Its muscular jaws and backward-curving teeth evolved for gripping slippery prey rather than for aggression toward divers, and individuals that have occupied the same lair for years become remarkably tolerant of careful observers. The species is long-lived and slow to reproduce, making resident individuals a sign of low-disturbance habitat.