Barnes' Garden Eel

Gorgasia barnesi

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Congridae
Genus: Gorgasia
Species: Gorgasia barnesi

Barnes' garden eel (Gorgasia barnesi) is a slender garden eel that lives in colonies on sandy slopes, swaying up from its burrow to feed. Its pale body is finely speckled.

It grows to around 60-80 cm, though most of its body stays hidden in the sand. It picks drifting plankton from the current and retreats instantly when approached.

In the Philippines it is found in colonies on sandy slopes with gentle currents; a slow, low approach gives the best views.

Photo: Bernard DUPONT, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist