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Slender snipe eel

NOT ON EXHIBIT
Slender snipe eel (Photo © Bruce Robison)

At the Aquarium

Natural History

Snipe eels have birdlike beaks with curving tips. Their beaks are covered with tiny, hooked teeth—the eels sweep their beaks through the water to entangle the antennae of tasty shrimp.

Conservation

Anything that finds its way into the ocean, whether it's tossed away as trash, washes off a beach or falls off a boat, may eventually make its way to the deep sea. It's important to realize that the deep sea is not so far away that it's beyond the reach of human activities. Living creatures in the deep are affected by what we do at the surface.

Cool Facts

A five-foot-long (1.5 meter) snipe eel weighs only a few ounces.
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Animal Facts

  • Scientific Name:
    Nemichthys scolopaceus
  • Habitat:
    Deep Sea
  • Animal Type:
    Fishes
  • Diet:
    shrimp
  • Size:
    to 5 feet (1.5 m)
  • Range:
    midwater (1,000-13,000 feet, or 300-4,000 meters)
  • Relatives:
    other snipe eels
Celebrating 25 Years of Ocean Conservation
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www.montereybayaquarium.org
886 Cannery Row | Monterey, California 93940
Open every day except Dec. 25
Regular hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Winter: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Summer/holidays: 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Summer weekends: 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
More information: (831) 648-4800