THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

hermaphrodite. As the ribbon eel grows and
matures, it changes sex from male to female and
its color changes from blue to yellow. This is
the only moray known to undergo such abrupt
changes in sex and color.
Mortality/Longevity: May have lifespan up to
20 years in the wild.
Remarks: The ribbon eel buries itself in sand
or hides in rocks or reefs, sometimes with
head protruding, lying in wait or emerging
to hunt for small fish. Like all morays, it rests
with mouth open, displaying sharp teeth that
appear ready for use. Actually, ribbon eels
are among the least aggressive of morays, the
gaping mouth simply aiding breathing by
allowing oxygenated water to enter and pass
over the gills.
Spotted Garden Eel
Heteroconger hassi (Congridae)
Conger and Garden Eels
Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East
Africa to the Society Islands; tropical, between
30 degrees N to 23 degrees S.
Habitat: Usually found on sandy bottoms near
a reef at depths of 7–45 m with some current.
Appearance: Up to 40 cm in length with a body
diameter of about 14 mm. Color is variable with
tiny spots covering the body including three
large black spots, two of which are usually
visible. The third spot is on the anus, which
is usually in the burrow. Like all members of
the family, they lack scales. Lack pelvic fins
and pectoral fins reduced. Males larger than
females.
Diet: Microscopic animals in the water column.
Reproduction and Development: During
mating season, males and females move their
burrows closer together. With tails remaining
in their burrows, they meet and entwine
bodies. Males defend the females they have
chosen. After mating the fertilized eggs are
released into the current and float near the
surface in the open ocean. The eggs hatch and
the larvae float until the eels are large enough
to swim down and make a burrow.
Remarks: Garden eels are usually found in
colonies containing up to several hundred,
even thousands of individuals.
The garden eel drives its pointy tail into the
sand to create a burrow. The skeletal features
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of the tail have been reduced and fortified
to create a firm, pointed burrowing tool.
Movement of the dorsal fin ejects sand and
secretions from the skin harden and stabilize
burrow sides.
Part of the eel’s body remains in the burrow
as it faces the current to feed., using its large
eyes to find tiny animals floating by. When
approached, the animal withdraws quickly
into its burrow for protection. Anyone popping
up in our “pop-up” should experience this
reaction.
Garden eels, because they do not take bait from
hooks and were not netted because they rarely
leave their burrows, were discovered only with
the advent of SCUBA.
ORDER CLUPEIFORMES
Pacific Herring
Clupea pallasii (Clupeidae)
Herrings, Shads, Sardines, Menhadens
Distribution: Found along the Pacific coast
of North America and northeast Asia. Most
common along the California coast from Baja
California north to Alaska and the Bering Sea.
Habitat: Typically a coastal, schooling species,
found at depths from the surface to 250 m at
various times of the year.
Appearance: Dark blue to olive above, silvery
below. Pacific herring look similar to Pacific
sardines, but lack the dark spots usually seen
on the sides of sardines.
Diet: Juveniles: mainly crustaceans, but also
decapod and mollusk larvae; adults: larger
crustaceans and small fishes.
Reproduction and Development: Move
nearshore into bays and estuaries to spawn in
large aggregations. San Francisco, Richardson,
and Tomales Bays are among important local
spawning areas, most often between January
and February. Sticky eggs are attached to
marine plants, rocks, or pilings, usually in rows
1–2 eggs deep. However, spawning can be so
intense that egg masses may be as thick as 5
cm. Young stay in shallow waters until the next
fall, when they head to sea.
Mortality/Longevity: Important prey for
many other fish species, seabirds, and marine
mammals, especially during spring spawning
aggregations. Eggs are consumed by benthic