192 UNDERWATER GUIDE TO MARINE LIFE 



with their wriggHng bodies. The males probably remain in brackish waters to 

 grow, but the females go as far upstream as they can and may even leave the 

 water to travel overland for rather remarkable distances for a fish. The eels 

 remain in fresh water to grow until they are about 5 to 8 years old, at which 

 time they again go to sea. Eels only breed once, dying soon thereafter. 



The mystery is not completely solved as yet. Just where in the Sargasso Sea 

 (at what depth) the eggs are deposited is not known. They are not deposited 

 on sargasso weed nor on the bottom, which is too deep. The smallest larvae 

 are found at a depth of 1,000 feet, so perhaps the eggs float in deep water. 



One more interesting facet should be mentioned. In 1930, the Danish ship 

 Dana found a leptocephalus larva 6 feet long off South Africa at a depth of 

 1,000 feet. This would produce an adult eel of 60 to 70 feet. Sea serpents? No 

 one knows. 



Eels have very delicate and tasty flesh. They are largelv nocturnal and eat 

 a wide variety of animal foods. They can be pugnacious. But these eels are 

 usually timid. 



Similar Species: The conger eel, Leptocephalus conger, is very similar to the 

 common eel. However, it has no scales and is put in a diff^erent family, 

 Leptocephalidae. Congers are often confused with common eels, but are larger, 

 reaching 8 feet and 12 pounds and have the dorsal fin prominently edged 

 with black. They are also mainly of offshore habitats, never entering fresh 

 water. They are found in the Atlantic from Cape Cod to Brazil. 



SNAKE EELS: Family Ophichthyidae 



These are very pretty and comparatively docile tropical eels. The dorsal and 

 anal fins do not extend to the tip of the tail, and the pattern is usually a 

 spotted one. The pectoral fins are present but small. As the name implies, these 

 eels are extremely suggestive of snakes as they crawl about reefs and even in 

 harbors. As they do so, they constantly poke about with their noses, on which 

 are situated two short, stout barbels containing the nostrils. The species are 

 numerous in all tropical seas. 



SPOTTED SNAKE EEL: Opliichthys ophis— Figure 97 



Size: Averages 2 feet. Up to 4^2 feet or more. 



Distrihiition: Florida and the West Indies to Brazil. Also to Bermuda. 



Identification: Pattern as illustrated. 



Habits: One of the authors had an interesting experience with one of these 

 eels in the harbor of Nassau, British West Indies. The eel was crawling exactly 

 like a snake over the rubbish in the harbor when it was first seen. Remember- 

 ing that eels are usually not to be trusted, the author nevertheless extended a 

 gloved hand slowly and was surprised to have the eel crawl into it. The eel 

 did not even object to being slowly picked up off the bottom. Once again placed 

 on the bottom, the eel found a hole, nosed about it, and retreated unhurriedly. 



Snake eels probably eat a wide variety of animal food, such as invertebrates 

 of all kinds as well as refuse and small fishes. 



