Garden Eel
Heteroconger hassi
Sighting evidence at Bharatpur Reef, Neil Island (Andaman Islands)
Spotted garden eels live in dense colonies of hundreds of individuals on sandy slopes at Bharatpur, each anchoring its tail in a permanent burrow and extending its body into the current to pick zooplankton from the passing water. When disturbed by approaching divers they retreat progressively into their burrows in a captivating ripple effect that reveals how acutely attuned they are to changes in water pressure and light. Their filter-feeding provides a direct trophic link between plankton productivity and the benthic reef system.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Garden Eel is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.