The ribbon Eel is the only member of its genus. Scientists thought for a long time that there were 3 types of ribbon eel, the black, the blue, and the yellow species. But now we know they form a unique species changing sex and colour during its lifespan!

You can find the Ribbon eel in sandy areas around reefs and lagoons of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It can be found in very shallow waters down to 60m.
It usually stays in the same cave for months or even years and two individuals (usually adult males) can be seen sharing the same hole.

​The ribbon eel is a carnivore which preys on small fish and other animals that swim too close to their hole. They can be generally observed poking their head out of their hole waiting to catch  prey as it wanders past.

Every individual is born as male.
Juveniles and sub-adults are black with a yellow dorsal fin. When they reach adulthood, they keep the yellow fin but the body turns blue and starts developing female reproductive organs.
​When they reach their full size, they turn into female and change their color to complete yellow.
They will then find a mate, lay their eggs, and die within a month.

It is due to their short lifespan that the female ribbon eels are rarely observed.

The ribbon is the only protandric hermaphrodite eel, meaning they are capable of changing sex to female if there is a shortage of natural females in the environment.

Did you know that the major threat of this species is the aquarium trade??
While writing this post, I found more websites giving advice about keeping the animal alive in captivity, or selling them, than information about the animal itself... Better to leave them in their natural habitat and observe them while scuba diving, don't you think...?
Come see them in Myanmar while they are still around :) 

They are often found in pairs and if a couple successfully establishes a secure den they can be found in the same place together for long periods of time. Sometimes Harlequin Shrimps will even spend the vast majority of their 7-year lifespan in the same place and with the same mate. They will live, breed, hunt, and defend their territory together loyally as long as their surroundings allow them. You may be thinking this is a very romantic gesture on the part of these gorgeous couples. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this behavior might just be a good way to increase their chances for the female’s eggs to get fertilized...

        Harlequin shrimp have very unique dinning habits that could easily be inspiring for the plot of a horror movie. Although they are very small, they survive on a diet of almost exclusively live starfish much bigger then themselves. With a particular taste for their legs and soft tissues (best eaten with a nice chianti). Most seas tars species are suitable but reportedly Harlequin shrimp cannot eat brittle stars.

      In recent years with the growing aquarium trade, these beauties have also become a major target for people wishing to put them on display in their personal fish tanks. When you search the internet for information on harlequin shrimp, the majority of hits are from sites offering information to aquarium breeders and collectors, which is heartbreaking. The appeal is understandable from an aesthetic standpoint, but we would much prefer to observe them happy and free in their natural habitat. We often get the opportunity to spot them tucked away in the reefs while diving Myanmar.

        Although harlequin shrimp may have questionable dietary practices, we still find them to be magnificent little critters and look forward to every chance to meet them under the seas.

In this article I wanted to present the various rays you can encounter in the Andaman sea. Most of the pictures below were taken in the Mergui Archipelago located off the coast of Myanmar and some in Surin and Similan islands in Thailand. 

I will start with the rays spending most of their time laying on the sea floor such as the stingrays and then about the pelagic rays through the Andaman Sea: they swim mid water from the depth all the way to the surface and travel long distances such as eagle rays and Manta rays!