This is Echidna nebulosa or Snowflake moray eel.
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This eel has a beautiful ornamental pattern and is one of my favorite eels to encounter.
The pattern resembles snowflakes across it’s white or cream body, and incorporates black blotches with yellow spots. It has yellow eyes and nostrils. This beautiful eel is called the Snowflake Moray Eel. Scientific name is Echidna nebulosa, which is Greek, and translates to “viper” and “misty/cloudy”. It’s Hawaiian name is Puhi Kapa. A fun fact is that we have about 42 different species of eels in our Hawaiian waters. Like all eels, these have a dorsal fin that runs the length of their body and are scale-less. They will secrete mucus over their bodies, which makes it easier for them, to maneuver in and out of small holes and crevices on the reef. They have horrible vision, but a great sense of smell.
The Snowflake Moray can often be seen swimming in the open water. They can often be found in waters from 1-33 feet in depth, and divers have even spotted them in about 90 feet of water. They can grow to be about 2-3 feet in length.
Often times, we see them being followed by jack or goat fish because they hunt together. The eel will go into the dark hole/crevice in the reef while the fish block the entrance to that area. This forces the prey to meet its demise with the eel or try to escape where it will meet its demise with the fish. The Snowflake eel’s diet consists of crustaceans, especially crabs. They actually have teeth that are conical and blunt rather than sharp teeth, which are typical of most eels. These conical and blunt teeth are designed for crushing the shells of the crustaceans.
The image above was taken during a Private Ocean Project Maui Snorkel Tour.
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