Eel - V. Big, and not in the 'Big Book of Fish'...

I'm a 'virgin' underwater photographer, so when I saw this chap sitting in the sand I got excited as he didn't seem to mind me taking his photo...but dumb luck only managed to get one shot before the batteries packed in! (Spent too much time trying to get an arty shot of a Tiger Tail!).

When I got back to the dive shop I couldn't find a match in the Big Book of Fish. The other eels have 'speckled' eyes, while this one looks as though he's wearing contact lenses.

I live in St. Vincent, so will keep my eye open for this fella, and post more pictures if this will help.

I'm a 'virgin' underwater photographer, so when I saw this chap sitting in the sand I got excited as he didn't seem to mind me taking his photo...but dumb luck only managed to get one shot before the batteries packed in! (Spent too much time trying to get an arty shot of a Tiger Tail!).

 

When I got back to the dive shop I couldn't find a match in the Big Book of Fish. The other eels have 'speckled' eyes, while this one looks as though he's wearing contact lenses.

 

I live in St. Vincent, so will keep my eye open for this fella, and post more pictures if this will help.

 

Sorry, need to add;

Size - head as big as a standard sized computer mouse - (Approx 4 inches long)

Depth - 45ft

Location - Course grained sand

The white on the eels snout is a recent addition, maybe an injury, as the last time that I saw this eel, (he / she has been living in the same area for around six months) the white areas weren't there.

Sorry, need to add;

 

Size - head as big as a standard sized computer mouse - (Approx 4 inches long)

Depth - 45ft

Location - Course grained sand

 

The white on the eels snout is a recent addition, maybe an injury, as the last time that I saw this eel, (he / she has been living in the same area for around six months) the white areas weren't there.

It doesnt look like any eel i have seen .. but if I had a guess .. some sort of Conga Eeel maybe ? it's the only thing I canthink of has a snout like that.

I think it is a Spotted Spoon-nose Eel (Echiophis intertinctus).

Luiz

I think it is a Spotted Spoon-nose Eel (Echiophis intertinctus).

 

Luiz

I have taken a picture of a spotted spoon nosed eel - please see photo.

Both the Spotted Spoon Nose and the unidentified eel bury into the sand and wait for lunch to pass by, however if you look at the eyes you will see that they are very different.

The Reef book lists 2 eels that bury backwards in to the sand that can be found found within the Caribbean, however both are rare, and exhibit the same 'speckelling' on the eyes. The unidentified eel does not exhibit the same eye colouration, it has a round large iris and appears as though it was wearing very thick contact lenses.

Also it is a lot darker than the spoon nose eel, and it is not as shy. Usually when I have tried to get close to spoon nosed eels they will hide under the sand, this one almost seemed to enjoy having it's picture taken!

By the way this one is a Spoon Nosed Eel - St. Vincent, Critter Corner, 2006

What about an inshore lizardfish (Synodus foetens, p367 of Humann&Deloach). It buries in the sand, can be dark to match sand colour, and has a similar eye. Jaw seems a bit different but I think it is a better match than the spotted spoon-nose eel.

On a different note, here is a picture of a Spotted Snake Eel from Cuba. This one was not just willing to let me take his picture, he seemed more comatose. Saw him for about 3 days in the same spot without moving and then he disappeared. Too bad I didn't have my new camera when this happened.

Bart

This is definately an eel, and not a Lizard Fish, although I can see why you might think it could be as the mouth of the eel is a very similar shape to that of the lizard fish.

I thought it was spoon-nose too, or a closely related snale eel.

But that is in the book - so I discounted it. The books are often very biased to certain locations, and the Windward Islands tend not to be well covered. Rare means rare in typical N. American diver destinations. Not necessarily rare in the balance of the region as a whole.

The high islands in the Caribbean tend to have very different fauna to the low coral keys. And much of the traditional dive industry has been developed in the low islands.

Alex