Surf eel

The Surf eel (Ichthyapus ophioneus, also known as the Finless snake eel in the United States ) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by Barton Warren Evermann and Millard Caleb Marsh in 1900, originally under the genus Sphagebranchus. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Bermuda, the Bahamas, Florida, USA; Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, northern South America, and St. Helena Island. It dwells at a maximum depth of 35 m, most often between 5 and 15 m, and forms burrows in sand bottoms in surf areas, from which its common name is derived. Males can reach a maximum total length of 45 cm.