Do you know garden eels? They are strange tropical fishes with serpentiform bodies and puffy faces with big eyes making them, overall … super cute.
They live in large colonies oscillating like whip coral in the currents and disappear like a mirage when you approach.
We will try in this blogpost to answer the question we most often get about these fish, in the form of a garden eel FAQ...
They live in large colonies oscillating like whip coral in the currents and disappear like a mirage when you approach.
We will try in this blogpost to answer the question we most often get about these fish, in the form of a garden eel FAQ...
Garden eels, together with congers make up the congridae family. The wonderful garden eel is a medium-sized fish, up to a maximum length of 40 cm. Its body has a circular shape with a diameter of about 10 mm. They dig a burrow with their tail, which they coat with mucus to avoid collapse.
These small eels live in burrows on the sea floor and get their name from their practice of putting their heads off their burrows while most of their bodies remain hidden. As they tend to live in groups of up to a few hundred individuals, the many eel heads "growing" from the bottom of the sea resembles a plant garden.
Most eels live in the warm parts of the tropical oceans including the Andaman Sea. They can be observed from afar pocking out of "eel pits" in colonies on the sandy plains and slopes that border the coral reefs. They prefer areas swept by currents which bring them more nutrients. They burrow themselves in the sand, mud (or more rarely among the rocks). Unlike most eel species who are nocturnal, garden eels feed during the day and will retreat in their burrow at night.
Although garden eels can swim freely, they prefer to bury themselves in the sand... once they are big enough to dig a hole and settle down they never leave home. The exception is during the mating season when they might come out to dig a new burrow closer to their partner...
Feeding on zooplankton, garden eels catch their food drifting in the ocean current, they don't need to go far but just like plants growing higher to get more sunlight, they need to protrude from the floor to get more preys. And they do this all day! All garden eels in the colony facing the current ready for the next meal.
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Garden eels usually only leave their original burrows to get closer to their partners during the spawning season. If two males end up too close to each other, they can fight for the territory and neighboring females. During mating, garden eels intertwine their upper halves, their tails remaining in their individual burrows. Two eels can stay this way for hours during a single mating. Garden eels are pelagic spawners; they release fertilized eggs into the open water, which then float close to the surface with the current. When eggs hatch, juveniles swim freely (and get be seen on black water dives) until they grow large enough to create their own burrows.
(photo left from Pete Atkinson) |
No, Garden eels are not dangerous. Their mouth is too small to bite you, they only eat zooplankton, remember? They have no venom, no spines, and very small tooth.
In fact, these little creatures are very shy and disappear underground when divers approach.
In fact, these little creatures are very shy and disappear underground when divers approach.
Because they are so shy, it is very tricky to take photos of Garden eels. Some photographers had successful shots by holding their breath long enough… other use a remote control to get the close-up shots.
The photo below is from Pete Atkinson. When asked how he did it he answered: Habituation, patience and breath-holding: I lay on the sand and inched my way closer over about 30 mins. I would hold my breath whenever they appeared so I didn't scare them. Eventually they were so familiar with me being there they came out far enough for a few pictures. I was using a 105mm micro lens on a Nikon F4, with flash. When I breathed out they disappeared into their holes. You might be able to do this more easily with a rebreather…
The photo below is from Pete Atkinson. When asked how he did it he answered: Habituation, patience and breath-holding: I lay on the sand and inched my way closer over about 30 mins. I would hold my breath whenever they appeared so I didn't scare them. Eventually they were so familiar with me being there they came out far enough for a few pictures. I was using a 105mm micro lens on a Nikon F4, with flash. When I breathed out they disappeared into their holes. You might be able to do this more easily with a rebreather…
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