Snake Blenny

Xiphasia setifer

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Blenniiformes
Family: Blenniidae
Genus: Xiphasia
Species: Xiphasia setifer

The snake blenny (Xiphasia setifer), also called the hairtail blenny, is an extraordinarily long, eel-like blenny that lives in burrows in sand and mud. Its pale body is ringed with dark bands, and it has a pair of large fangs in its lower jaw.

It can reach over 50 cm in length, making it one of the longest blennies in the world. Usually only its head is visible poking out of its burrow, and it quickly retreats when approached. It feeds on small crustaceans and other invertebrates.

The snake blenny occurs across the Indo-West Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is an unusual find on sandy and muddy muck sites.