Team Hunting
In the reefs of Koh Tao, two unlikely teammates work together to eat: the cantankerous Greyface Moray Eel (Gymnothorax Thyrsoideus), with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and the mighty Brown Marbled Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus), known for its lightning-fast reactions.
Though it might seem like an odd pairing, this is actually a common and mutually beneficial interaction - just one of many of the ocean’s illustrious symbiotic relationships.
On one of my dives in Koh Tao, I saw several Grouper gathering over the top of a coral reef formation, completely unbothered by my presence. That alone felt like a special moment. When I told my mentor Liz how excited I was, she told me to pause and really observe on my next dive.
“You might see something even cooler,” she said. “The hunt.”
The hunt is initiated by the Grouper shaking its head, dorsal fin raised. This is the Eel’s invitation and although typically a nocturnal hunter, the Moray won’t pass up the opportunity for an easy meal. Relying on their sense of smell, due to their poor eyesight, the Eel wriggles through the crevices of the coral, either flushing prey out into open water for the Grouper to ambush, or catching the meal for itself.
But the Grouper isn’t just waiting around. If the prey refuses to leave its hiding place, the Grouper will tip its body downward "pointing like an arrow" (Kastor, 2023) to indicate where the fish are tucked away. The Moray follows the cue.
In a way, the prey almost decides who gets the prize. But either way, they’re getting swallowed whole.
It’s a beautiful, organised chaos. It’s the ocean in play.
Sources:
FishBase (Unknown). Gymnothorax Thyrsoideus. FishBase. URL.
FishBase (Unknown). Epinephelus fuscoguttatus. FishBase. URL.
Koster, G (2023). Groupers and Moray Eel's Team Up! Capstone Press.
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