Highfin snake eel
Ophichthus altipennis
The highfin snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus ''Microdonophis''. It is a marine, tropical eel known from the eastern Indian Ocean and northwestern and western central Pacific Ocean, including Australia, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, the Marshall Islands, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 40 m , and forms burrows in soft inshore sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 103 cm .
Due to its wide distribution in the Pacific and lack of known threats, the IUCN redlist currently lists the highfin snake eel as Least Concern.
Due to its wide distribution in the Pacific and lack of known threats, the IUCN redlist currently lists the highfin snake eel as Least Concern.
