What are they?
Ribbon Eels are saltwater species of moray eels. Also known as the blue ribbon eel, they range in different colors according to their stage of life which are black, blue , and / or yellow.
Habitat: Ribbon eels live in lagoons or coastal reefs throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Also from East Africa to French Polynesia, Northern and Southern Japan, and even south to Australia and New Caledonia. They tend to bury themselves in the crevices of the reefs.
Diet: Small fishes and crustaceans like shrimp.
Predator: Other moray eels, barracudas ( a type of fish), large groupers (another type of fish) and people. There aren't that many predators for the ribbon eels, so living in the crevices of reefs is ok for them since running away from predators may be difficult while living there.
Lifespan: Up to 20 years in the wild, but only up to about 1 month while in captive.
Maturity: Ribbon eels are born male and generally have black colored skin when they are young and then develop blue around their body and yellow coloration near their mouth and fin when they grow older. After the male eel reaches a certain length, they turn almost entirely yellow and start to develop female parts until it becomes fully female.
Mating: They mate when the water temperature is the highest. After the female and male mate, their so called " relationship" is over. The eggs, which look like thin leaf-shaped objects, float in the open ocean for 8 months and then hatch.
Size: 1 meter/ 3.3 feet
Really Cool Facts :
Videos!!:
Ribbon Eels are saltwater species of moray eels. Also known as the blue ribbon eel, they range in different colors according to their stage of life which are black, blue , and / or yellow.
Habitat: Ribbon eels live in lagoons or coastal reefs throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Also from East Africa to French Polynesia, Northern and Southern Japan, and even south to Australia and New Caledonia. They tend to bury themselves in the crevices of the reefs.
Diet: Small fishes and crustaceans like shrimp.
Predator: Other moray eels, barracudas ( a type of fish), large groupers (another type of fish) and people. There aren't that many predators for the ribbon eels, so living in the crevices of reefs is ok for them since running away from predators may be difficult while living there.
Lifespan: Up to 20 years in the wild, but only up to about 1 month while in captive.
Maturity: Ribbon eels are born male and generally have black colored skin when they are young and then develop blue around their body and yellow coloration near their mouth and fin when they grow older. After the male eel reaches a certain length, they turn almost entirely yellow and start to develop female parts until it becomes fully female.
Mating: They mate when the water temperature is the highest. After the female and male mate, their so called " relationship" is over. The eggs, which look like thin leaf-shaped objects, float in the open ocean for 8 months and then hatch.
Size: 1 meter/ 3.3 feet
Really Cool Facts :
- Many people keep ribbon eels as pets and they are known being a difficult species to care for in a home aquarium , especially since they can escape easily if owners aren't careful.
- They open and close their mouths to move water through their gills for respiration ( to breathe).
- They are shy creatures and only attack if provoked, so don't be scared if you come across one some day.
Videos!!: