Sealife guideThe tiger snake eelMyrichthys maculosus

Last updated on 09/25/2025 at 11:32 PM

Taxonomy

Common name: Tiger snake eel, spotted snake eel, ocellated snake eel
French name: Serpentine maculée
Scientific name: Myrichthys maculosus (Cuvier, 1816)
Family name: Ophichthidae
Order name: Anguilliformes
Class name: Actinopterygii

Description

The tiger snake eel is elongated, slender and elegant. Its body is covered with brown to black spots on a creamy to slightly yellowish background. Its flexible, serpentine body allows it to slip easily through coral reefs to hunt or hide from predators while its spotted body provides perfect camouflage among corals and rocks.

The tiger snake eel (Myrichthys maculosus) © Mikhail Tischenko | Dreamstime.com

The tiger snake eel can reach up to 3.3 feet in length.

Geographic range

The tiger snake eel inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian ocean, around the Seychelles, Madagascar and the east coast of Africa, as well as the tropical Pacific, including the Philippines, Indonesia and Micronesia. It is also found in the Red sea.

Habitat

The tiger snake eel is found in shallow waters, usually up to 98 feet deep. It prefers coral reefs, lagoons and sandy areas bordering the corals, where it can hide during the day and emerge at night to hunt.

The tiger snake eel is discreet and shy, often hiding in crevices or holes in the coral during the day.

Diet

The tiger snake eel is nocturnal, meaning it primarily hunts at night. Its diet consists of small fish and crustaceans, which it captures by slipping into reef crevices. Its jaw is strong, but it does not attack humans unless threatened.

The tiger snake eel (Myrichthys maculosus) © Yeshaya Dinerstein | Dreamstime.com

It plays an important role in reef ecosystems by regulating small fish populations and helping maintain local biodiversity.

Reproduction

The reproduction of the tiger snake eel is still poorly documented, but like most moray eels, it lays eggs in protected reef areas. The young eels are often transparent at birth, allowing them to blend into the plankton before settling on the reefs.

Did you know ?

Like many morays, the tiger snake eel can survive for long periods in very tight spaces thanks to its ability to bend and undulate its body.

The tiger snake eel is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The tiger snake eel appears in the IUCN Red List since 2022 within the category Least Concern !

Tips for observing

Despite its intimidating appearance, the tiger snake eel is harmless to humans if left undisturbed.

The tiger snake eel (Myrichthys maculosus) © Yeshaya Dinerstein | Dreamstime.com

Within the same genus

Banded snake eel
(Myrichthys colubrinus)

Goldspotted eel
(Myrichthys ocellatus)

Leopard snake eel
(Myrichthys pardalis)

Sharptail eel
(Myrichthys breviceps)

Within the same family

Clown snake eel
(Ophichthus bonaparti)

Crocodile snake eel
(Brachysomophis henshawi)

Stargazer snake eel
(Brachysomophis cirrocheilos)

Discover also

Banggai cardinalfish
(Pterapogon kauderni)

Bluespotted grouper
(Cephalopholis cyanostigma)

Jansen's wrasse
(Thalassoma jansenii)

Northern stargazer
(Astroscopus guttatus)

Spotgill cardinalfish
(Ostorhinchus chrysopomus)

Tompot blenny
(Parablennius gattorugine)

White eyed moray
(Gymnothorax thyrsoideus)

Yellowfin bream
(Acanthopagrus australis)

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