Spotted Garden Eel Heteroconger hassi

Hundreds of Garden Eels live in a colony in the sand at the edge of a reef with their tops protruding above their individual burrow and waving in the current looking like "gardens" of eels - hence their name. The Spotted Garden Eel is native to sandy reefs of the Indo-Pacific.

Adults have a white or greenish yellow body with small black spots and five larger black patches. They use their large yellow eyes and over-sized mouth to catch plankton passing in the current.

Although only some 5cm or so may protrude from the burrow, the adult Garden Eel is actually some 30-40cm long. They rarely leave their burrow - but the one above right is doing so.

These two are having a fight with another looking on (possibly two males and a watching female). Males have a more protruding lower jaw. Juveniles are black.

Another reason to extend well out of the burrow is to look over the rock . . . or to have service from a Cleaner Shrimp to remove any dead cells and parasites.