| Tropical Diver The Coral Kingdom |
The spotted garden eel can be found in tropical waters in the Indo-Pacific region from Africa to Japan and Australia. It occurs most commonly on protected sandy bottom slopes that are exposed to current.
The pointed tail of this animal allows it to burrow into the sandy bottom. Secreting mucus, the eel can seal the sides of their burrow to prevent caving in. As they remain in their burrow, individuals will raise their upper body into the current and pick plankton out of the water column as it flows by. Garden eels occur in dense patches giving the illusion of swaying plant stems as they feed. Individuals rarely leave their burrow and even mate by leaning over to intertwine with an adjacent mate. They retreat below the surface of the sand at the approach of a predator fish.
See the spotted garden eels in the Tropical Diver gallery at the Georgia Aquarium.
- Its body diameter is about 0.5 inches (14 mm).
- The spotted garden eel lives in a sandy burrow it digs tail-first, it then coats it with its body mucus so that it cements the walls of the burrow, preventing it from collapse or
- The spotted garden eel has such a connection with its sand burrow home that it even stays within the burrow when spawning. Mates will stretch from one burrow hole to an adjacent burrow and intertwine their bodies to mate.
- The spotted garden eel was discovered when SCUBA diving became popular. Now divers locate many colonies in their range.
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