Tiger reef eel
Appearance and lifestyle:
Tiger reef eels (Scuticaria tigrina) are extremely secretive, and often only seen at night. They often rearrange rocks and sand in order to create good hiding places. Reproduction has been poorly studied, but tiger reef eels are believed to be protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning females transition to males at midlife. They grow to 120 cm in length.
Habitat:
Tiger reef eels are found in shallow reefs, sand and rocky areas across the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Diet:
Tiger reef eels feed on fish and larger crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs.
Threats:
The Tiger reef eel's current conservation status is least concern, but they can be negatively impacted by coastal developments and coral habitat degradation.
Tiger reef eels are also known as the tiger snake moray, tiger moray and the spotted eel.
These eels have poor eyesight, yet a keen sense of smell.
Tiger reef eels have large mouths, equipped with two sets of teeth on both jaws.