The last few days have made for quite interesting snorkeling and I saw a couple creatures I have never seen before.  I compressed the three days into one short 35 second video clip and added captions to indicate the various fish, eel, rays, etc. 

Check out the video below!

Green Moray Eel

I was super excited to see this Green Moray Eel as it hurriedly tried to slither beneath a large boulder.  They are actually quite fascinating creatures.  Here are a few unusual facts:

They aren’t actually green.  They are brown but have have a yellow mucus layer all over their bodies that makes them appear green.  

They have pharyngeal jaws meaning they have a second set of jaws that launch forward into the mouth cavity when feeding to grasp prey.  How strange is that?

While they have many serpentine features, they aren’t snakes.  They are fish.  However, they don’t have scales, but instead have smooth skin.   

Eels are the only type of fish that can swim both forwards and backwards.   They do this by undulating their bodies in what is called anguilliform motion.

I was particularly captivated by the striking blue eyes which really jump out at you against the green of their bodies.  However, they apparently can’t see very well and depend heavily on their sense of smell.  I don’t think his eyesight was that bad though because he definitely saw me coming.  

Estuary Catfish/ Swan River Catfish/ Eeltail Catfish (Cnidoglanis macrocephalus)

When I saw the tail sticking out from beneath a boulder, I thought for sure it was another eel so I was quite surprised when I looked closer and saw a head that looked more like a catfish. 

I had never seen one of these before.  Their skin is a greenish/yellow with black speckles which makes for perfect camouflage.  Unsurprisingly, the Estuary Catfish or Swan River Catfish is a type of Eeltail Catfish.  They have very pronounced barbels (the whiskers) that they use for tasting and searching for food in the dark murky areas under rocks where they like to spend time.  Don’t reach for them though since the dorsal and pectoral fins are both venomous and can inflict severe wounds.  

Eastern Fiddler Ray/ Banjo Ray

These impressive large rays have a very distinct pattern of light lines with dark edges and a light brown coloration to the rest of their bodies.   They have two large dorsal fins on their tails and a fairly large caudal fin (the fin at the end of their tail).   They are cartilaginous fish like sharks, rays, and skates and they are also ovoviviparous meaning their method of reproduction is in between egg laying and live birth.  The egg grows and hatches within the mother before she gives birth.