Marbled Snake Eel

Callechelys marmorata

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Callechelys
Species: Callechelys marmorata

The marbled snake eel (Callechelys marmorata) is a slender burrowing eel with a pale body covered in dark spots. Its spotting gives it a marbled appearance.

It can grow to around 1 m and spends most of its time buried, with only the head exposed. It feeds on small fish and invertebrates.

In the Philippines it is found on sandy slopes, usually seen with just its head out of the sand.

Photo: Justin Philbois, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist