Bicolor False Moray

Chlopsis bicollaris

Moray Eels can grow very large. In fact, the largest of them, the Slender Moray, can reach up to 13ft long!

The Bicolor False Moray? Yeah... not so big. Males only reach about 8in, and females are even smaller. The smaller size is actually why False Morays are "False." They belong to a different family whose members resemble the "True" Morays, but get no where near the size.

Bicolor False Morays are predominantly a greyish-brown, with white on the underside (hence "bicolor.") They live in the coral reefs near the Galapagos Islands, an no where else!

Because of their small range, the IUCN lists the species are Near Threatened. They live in only ten specific reef areas, and though there is no bottom commercial fishing to disturb them, it is unsure what will happen to the population as a result of climate change or El Nino events.

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : Galapagos Islands
Size : Body length up to 8in (20cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Anguilliformes
Family : Chlopsidae -- Genus : Chlopsis -- Species : C. bicollaris

Image : G.R. Allen

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American Eel

Anguilla rostrata

Well, it's Turkey Day here in the United States, but we've already talked about the two different Turkey species. So why not learn about one of the other critters that made an appearance at the very first Thanksgiving? Yup. Eels.

American Eels are a very common fish that have been commercially harvested for hundreds of years. Though we don't eat them too often in the States, they are still consumed across the pond in Europe. You'll find them in the Atlantic Ocean, though they often spend their early years hanging out in nearby rivers and streams.

American Eels have a complex aging process that contains 6 distinct phases and can take up to 10 years. The whole shebang starts with the external fertilization of the eggs, which are laid out in the middle of the ocean. A single female can release 30 million eggs during spawning! It is assumed that the adults die after spawning, but this is unconfirmed.

The eggs hatch after only a week, and the second life phase begins- Leptocephali. These larval eels are very transparent looking, and spend most of their life phase being carried by the currents towards to coast. This journey can take as long as 12 months! Once there, they shift to yet another phase, the "Glass Eel." At this point they are still transparent, but they look more like eels, having the distinctive elongated bodies (but the lack of skin color still gives them some camouflage).

The final three phases in American Eel life all relate in part to their coloration. Stage 4, "Elver" is where they finally start to gain skin pigmentation. Oftentimes the Elvers will move to freshwater, and will continue to grow there before reaching the fifth, "Yellow" stage. At yellow they finally have a distinct sex, and have more color in their skin. Their final stage, "Silver," is when they are finally considered sexually mature adults and are strong enough to return to the open ocean. They may not return to spawn until they are 25 years old!

Unfortunately, because they have no many life phases, in so many locations, they face a number of conservation threats. Construction of dams and other structures have caused habitat obstruction, and over-fishing and pollution are additional concerns.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Atlantic Ocean
Size : Length up to 4ft (1.2m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Anguilliformes
Family : Anguillidae -- Genus : Anguilla -- Species : A. rostrata

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Snub-nosed Spiny Eel

Notocanthus chemnitzii

Today's critter, the Snub-nosed Spiny Eel is found in oceans all around the world... well, except for in tropical areas. They prefer colder waters, and are usually found at depths of more than 200m-- though individuals have been found as deep as 2,500m!

Snub-nosed Spiny Eels aren't actually true Eels at all. Though they share the same Class, they belong to two completely different Orders. All members of the Spiny Eel order are deep sea dwellers, and are not quite as long as true Eels are.

The Snub-nosed Spiny Eels are solitary fish, rather than schooling ones. They feed primarily on different Sea Anemones, and have compact, serrated teeth that allow them to get at their meals easier. Colors vary greatly within this species, and they range from shades of tan and brown all the way to slate grey.

We don't know very much about the population size of these deep sea fish, mostly because they live in such remote areas. They are not currently listed by the IUCN.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Oceans Worldwide
Size : Length up to 47in (1.2m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Notacanthiformes
Family : Notacanthidae -- Genus : Notacanthus -- Species : N. chemnitzii

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Japanese Eel

Anguilla japonica

Japanese Eels, sometimes referred to as Unagi, are creatures that live in both fresh and salt water. They can grow to lengths of around 5ft (1.5m), and have quite a remarkable life story! 

As adults, they live in the freshwater rivers of East Asia. But when the times comes to spawn, the eels travel thousands of miles to a spawning ground near the Mariana Islands. They nearly starve in order to make the trip! After the spawning takes place, the eggs are carried off by currents into the open ocean, where the Japanese Eels hatch and grow through their larval phase. As they get larger and larger the ocean current brings them closer to the continent, where they swim upriver just as their parents did and begin the process anew. 

Unfortunately, Japanese Eel populations have been hit hard in recent years. This is because of their high demand within the food industry and because of changes in the ocean environment. These Eels are placed on the Greenpeace Seafood Red List and are listed as “to avoid” on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Overfishing, destructive fishing techniques, and damaging capture levels for the captive industry make Japanese Eels (and their culinary name, Unagi) a meal to avoid. 

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : East Asia, Pacific Ocean

Size : Length up to 5ft (1.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Anguilliformes
Family : Anguillidae -- Genus : Anguilla-- Species : A. japonica

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Spotted Garden Eel

The Spotted Garden Eel (Heteroconger hassi)is a species of Conger Eel native to the tropical marine waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are found in sandy areas at depths of between 20 and 150ft (6-15m). Spotted Garden Eels get their names from the spotted patterning on their bodies, and they measure up to 23in (60cm) in length.

(Image Source)

Spotted Garden Eels live out their lives in massive colonies that can number over 1,000 individuals. Each Eel lives in its own burrow, which is created by making its body rigid and by driving into the sand tail first. Spotted Garden Eels spend nearly all of their time in these burrows, positioning themselves to face currents that carry food. When threatened, they will retreat downward into the sand. Some colonies even live among sea grasses to provide better camouflage. These defensive strategies do not make them 100% safe from predators. Snake Eels will dig into the sand and attack from underground, while other species of fish will actually dig after the Garden Eels.

During the mating season burrows of males and females will be placed closer together. They intertwine with each other to breed. Eggs of the species are laid in open water, and will float about before hatching. When the young Eels reach a large enough size they will create a burrow of their own.

Spotted Garden Eels have a stable population, but they are collected for the pet trade, though they can be extremely difficult to keep as pets.

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Pelican Eel

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Pelican Eel, Umbrella Mouth Eel, Gulper Eel, Eurypharynx pelecanoides, no matter what you call it, this is one strange looking animal. Pelican Eels are so named because of their absolutely gigantic mouths. They are found in rather deep waters, between 3,000 and 26,000 feet, of both tropical and subtropical waters around the world.

Pelican Eels can grow up to a meter in length, with a large portion of that taken up by its massive head. Their mouths have hinged jaws that would allow them to eat fish much larger than themselves. Their stomachs stretch as well, though interestingly, they have very small teeth. This, combined with found stomach contents, demonstrates that Pelican Eels primarily eat small crustaceans.

(Image Source)

Another rather interesting part of their body is the long, whip-like tail. Pelican Eels have long tails that are tipped with bioluminescent photophores. It is believed that these serve a purpose to lure prey in the dark, deep water.

Not much else is really known about these strange fish. They live so far down that we only really get to study specimens that get accidentally caught by fishermen. They have need been evaluated by IUCN.

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Dragon Moray Eel

Enchelycore pardalis  is a rather attractive, yet aggressive little fellow found throughout the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. They are also known as Leopard Moray Eels and Japanese Dragon Eels, and are members of the 200+ species family Muraenidae. They live in caves and coral reef areas where the can remain hidden while hunting. Dragon Morays can grow almost a meter in length, which is pretty small when compared to the largest of the Morays, the Giant Moray, which can reach lengths of 2.5meters.

Dragon Moray Eels have (in my opinion) some lovely coloration.Their bodies are covered in patterns orange, yellow, white, and black. They even have horns! Though they aren't really horns. They are actually nostrils! Dragon Morays use their sense of smell to hunt, and they snack on crustaceans, fish, and even octopuses! Basically, if they can fit it in their mouths, they'll eat it. They also have teeth that act like traps, due to their backwards positioning. This makes it extremely difficult for the prey to wiggle free. All food gets repositioned so that it can go down the throat head first. After swallowing, the eels practice a behavior called knotting, which means that the Eel makes a loop out of its own body, knotting itself up. This helps to smash around the meals that are moving through their digestive system.

One interesting tidbit about the Dragon Moray Eel is that they are protogynous hermaphrodites. (Gotta remember to add that one to the glossary) This means that they have reproductive organs of both sexes, and that eels that start off as female have the ability to change sexes if there are two few males in the local population.

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