Fangtooth Snake Eels: Interesting Facts and Bite Information

The fangtooth snake eel is one of the ocean’s most bizarre and fascinating creatures. Despite its name, it’s not actually a snake at all. It’s a type of eel that gets its name from its snake like body and prominent, fang like teeth. These mysterious creatures spend most of their lives hidden beneath the ocean floor, making them one of the lesser known inhabitants of the underwater world.

What Is a Fangtooth Snake Eel?

Fangtooth snake eels belong to the family Ophichthidae, which includes over 300 species of snake eels found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. The fangtooth variety (Aplatophis chauliodus) stands out because of its impressive set of teeth, which are large, curved, and visible even when its mouth is closed.

These eels typically grow to about 2 to 3 feet in length, though some species within the family can be larger. Their bodies are elongated and cylindrical, much like a snake, with smooth skin that ranges from tan to brown in color. Unlike many eels, they have a pointed, hardened tail tip that they use for burrowing backward into sand and sediment.

They live in the warm, shallow to moderately deep waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as parts of the Atlantic. They’re typically found at depths ranging from a few feet to several hundred feet, burrowed into sandy or muddy ocean floors.

Those Impressive Fangs

The most striking feature of the fangtooth snake eel is, of course, those teeth. The upper and lower jaws are equipped with long, curved, fang like teeth that are designed for grabbing and holding slippery prey. These teeth point backward, making it nearly impossible for prey to escape once caught.

Despite how intimidating the teeth look, fangtooth snake eels are not aggressive toward humans. They’re ambush predators that wait buried in the sand with just their head or nose exposed, striking when small fish or crustaceans pass within range. Their teeth are tools for catching dinner, not weapons of defense.

The fang design is perfectly suited for their diet. Small fish, shrimp, and other marine invertebrates make up the bulk of their meals. The backward curving teeth act like fish hooks, ensuring that once prey enters the mouth, it only goes in one direction.

Burrowing Behavior

Fangtooth snake eels are masters of concealment. They spend the majority of their time buried in the ocean floor, using their hardened tail tip to dig backward into sand, mud, or gravel. This burrowing behavior serves multiple purposes.

First, it provides protection from predators. Buried in the substrate with only their eyes or nose visible, they’re nearly invisible to passing threats. Second, it’s an essential part of their hunting strategy. By hiding in the sand and waiting for prey to come close, they conserve energy while still being ready to strike in an instant.

The hardened tail tip is a unique adaptation among eels. While many eel species can dig into soft substrate, the reinforced tail of snake eels makes them particularly efficient burrowers. They can disappear into the sand in seconds, tail first, when disturbed.

Are Fangtooth Snake Eels Dangerous?

Fangtooth snake eels are not considered dangerous to humans, but they can bite if handled or provoked. Their sharp teeth can cause painful puncture wounds, so divers and fishermen who encounter them should treat them with respect and avoid handling them.

There are no reports of fangtooth snake eels being venomous. Unlike some other eel species (such as moray eels, which may have mild toxins in their mucus), snake eels rely purely on their teeth for catching prey.

The biggest risk from a snake eel bite is infection. Like any puncture wound from a wild animal, a snake eel bite should be thoroughly cleaned and monitored for signs of infection. Seek medical attention if redness, swelling, or pain increases after a bite.

Most encounters between humans and fangtooth snake eels happen when the eels are accidentally caught on fishing hooks or hauled up in nets. In these situations, the eel may thrash and bite defensively. The best approach is to cut the line rather than trying to remove the hook by hand.

Interesting Facts About Fangtooth Snake Eels

One of the most incredible things about snake eels is their ability to escape from the stomachs of predators. There are documented cases where snake eels that were swallowed by larger fish attempted to burrow through the predator’s stomach wall to escape. While this usually proves fatal for both animals, the fact that they try is a remarkable survival instinct.

Snake eels are nocturnal, doing most of their hunting at night when their prey is more active and visibility is lower. Their ambush style of hunting works especially well in low light conditions when passing prey can’t see the eel’s head protruding from the sand.

They have an excellent sense of smell that helps them detect prey even while buried. Specialized sensory pores along their head and body can detect vibrations and chemical signals in the water, essentially giving them a 360 degree awareness of their surroundings even when hidden.

Unlike many eel species, snake eels are solitary creatures. They don’t form groups or colonies and prefer to maintain their own territory within the ocean floor. Encounters between individuals of the same species typically only happen during mating season.

Conservation Status

Fangtooth snake eels are not currently considered endangered or threatened. Their burrowing lifestyle makes them difficult to study and count, so population data is limited. However, they don’t face the same pressures as many commercially fished species because they have no economic value as food fish.

The biggest potential threats to snake eel populations are habitat destruction (particularly damage to sandy and muddy ocean floor habitats from trawling) and pollution. Changes in ocean temperature and chemistry related to climate change could also affect their prey availability and habitat suitability.