Serpent eel
📖 Overview
Inhabiting the continental shelf on sand or mud bottom . Buried with only its head exposed . Also found in estuaries .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Body olive green to brown above, paler below; head pores black; young silvery .: eel-like.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Serpent eel is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range ? - 300 m . Subtropical; 46°N - 41°S, 18°W - 179°E South Africa, also Madeira and western Mediterranean) and Indo-Pacific: southern Mozambique to South Africa; north to Japan, south to Australasia.
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🎣 Angling Guide
- medium-heavy 7ft spinning rod
- 30-50 lb braid
- fluorocarbon leader
- grass flats
- oyster bars
- marsh drains
- deeper channel edges
Use barbless hooks, minimise air exposure, and revive fish head-first in current before release.
⚠️ Slot limits protect breeding-size fish. Verify daily bag limits.
📊 Population Dynamics
| Year | Region | Index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | Eel · Giant Snake Eel · Sand Snake-eel · Serpent eel · Snake Eel · Snipe Eel · sand snake eel |
| 🌍AFR | Sandslangetjie · Slangetjie |
| 🇸🇦Arabic | Serpent de mer |
| 🏳️Catalan | Colobra de mar · Serp de mar |
| 🌍CES | hadař hadovitý |
| 🇩🇰Danish | Sandslangeål |
| 🇩🇪German | Langschnauzen-Schlangenaal |
| 🌍ELL | Fidochelo · Φιδόχειλο · Φιδόχελο |
| 🇫🇮Finnish | nauhakäärmeankerias |
| 🇫🇷French | Serpenton à Nez Long · Serpenton à long nez |
| 🇮🇹Italian | Coloru de mari · Mparmpouni · Pesce serpente · Seppi i mari · Serp il-bahar halqu twil · Serpe 'e fangu · Serpente di mare · Serpi 'mperiali · Serpi i mari · Serpi longa · Vipera di mare |
| 🌍MLT | Serjola · Serp · Serp il-bahar · Serp il-bahar halqu twil |
| 🇵🇱Polish | Zmijak piaskowy |
| 🇵🇹Portuguese | Cobra-do-mar |
| 🇷🇺Russian | Змеехвостый угорь |
| 🌍SLV | Zobata jegulja |
| 🇪🇸Spanish | Anguila serpiente · Culebra de Mar · Tieso Trompudo |
| 🌍SQI | Gjarperi i detit · gjarpri i detit · ngjala gjarpërore |
| 🌍TUR | Yilankurdu baliği · dikenli yilan baligi |
| 🇨🇳Chinese | 褐沙蛇鰻 |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 33 records indexed .
👥 Community & Contribute
No observations yet - be the first to log one!
View all observations for Serpent eel ↗Spotted incorrect or outdated data? Submit a correction and our editorial team will review it. Approved edits go live within 48 hours.
Found a factual error, broken data, or inappropriate content? Let us know and we will investigate promptly.