Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz

Up to 1.4 m long. Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores. 0 – 7000 m depth.
The European eel is only rarely encountered in the sea (the photo was taken in a large tide pool at the Azores).
The lower jaw of the European eel is clearly longer than the upper jaw the contrary of the situation in the
Conger eel). Photo top right Peter Wirtz.
Sorcerer eels (Nettastomidae)
are animals of the deep sea. But – as is the case for several deep sea species – juveniles (up to about 30 cm
length) of the Sharpnose sorcerer eel (Faciolella oxyrhyncha) (insert) can be found in caves in shallow
water (the living conditions in caves are somewhat similar to those in the deep sea). The body of these animals
is so transparent that one can see the vertebrae and the gills. The Sharpnose sorcerer eel grows to 70 cm length
and lives down to 750 m depth. Photo insert Peter Wirtz.
Snake eels (Ophichthidae)
Golden spotted snake eel (Myrichthys pardalis)
Up to 65 cm long. Canary Islands. 2 – 20 m depth.
The Golden spotted snake eel is active during the day and crawls over the bottom rather like a snake, putting
its head into cracks and crevices, in search of crustaceans and small fish. There are no sea snakes in the
Atlantic Ocean! Photo bottom right Rogelio Herrera.
Finless snake eel (Apterichtus caecus)
Up to 60 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores. 1 – 40 m depth.