Conger Eel in Raja Ampat

[bugeye]

Hi Everyone,

I recorded the following video while night diving at Boo East Wall near Misool Hunting Conger Eel catches a Fish in Raja Ampat - YouTube

I couldn't find anything similar in the fish identification book (the closest is the big eye conda but that prefers sandy bottoms and only grows to 40cm). Has anyone seen anything similar? Any idea what type of Conger it is?​

 

[watboy]

I saw something the same or similar on a night dive last week at Batu Lima in Raja Ampat as well. Also got video of it catching a fish, but not as good as yours. I was surprised how easy it was to catch videos of predators hunting prey, I caught a sea snake and a mantis shrimp as well.

 

[bugeye]

I saw something the same or similar on a night dive last week at Batu Lima in Raja Ampat as well. Also got video of it catching a fish, but not as good as yours. I was surprised how easy it was to catch videos of predators hunting prey, I caught a sea snake and a mantis shrimp as well.

I'd love to see the videos if you could share them! I also did a few night dives at Batu Lima last week - there were Slipper Lobster's everywhere!

 

[photog]

Hi Everyone,

I recorded the following video while night diving at Boo East Wall near Misool Hunting Conger Eel catches a Fish in Raja Ampat - YouTube

I couldn't find anything similar in the fish identification book (the closest is the big eye conda but that prefers sandy bottoms and only grows to 40cm). Has anyone seen anything similar? Any idea what type of Conger it is?​

Bugeye!!! Great video! Quite exciting behavior to catch - I chuckled at the sound.. some excited yelling when the eel grabbed that fish.

I believe this is conger cinereus, common name "Mustache Conger". Quite common, but very nice.... Maybe I saw the same one at Jamar Boo in November. Or it's twin.

I was surprised not to find it in the first 3 ID books I grabbed. Found it in Scott Michael's Reef Fishes Vol. 1

 

[bugeye]

I believe this is conger cinereus, common name "Mustache Conger". Quite common, but very nice.... Maybe I saw the same one at Jamar Boo in November. Or it's twin.

I was surprised not to find it in the first 3 ID books I grabbed. Found it in Scott Michael's Reef Fishes Vol. 1

Thanks Deb! I was trying to identify the species online and had come accross the information that that this has been separated into two species the Mustache Conger (Conger marginatus) and the Longfin African conger (Conger cinereus) but wasn't able to find any information on how to identify the difference between the two (other than that the Mustache Conger is unique to Hawaii). Mustache Conger, Conger marginatus I wasn't sure whether the Mustache Conger being present is unique to Raja Ampat being on the intersection of different oceans or whether the Muscache Conger and Longfin African Conger look identical and what I saw was actually a Longfin African Conger.

 

[simskiscuba]

Phenomenal video! And I love the soundtrack too.

 

[vladimir]

I was surprised how easy it was to catch videos of predators hunting prey.

At the risk of stating the obvious, it's easy because your light is aiding the predator. The prey are relying on the dark to protect them.

 

[Zippsy]

Is that true Vladimir? I understood that eels have pretty bad eyesight and hunt mainly by smell and sound. It may be that the light is more helpful to the prey to warn them that the eel is coming. Just thinking out loud....

 

[watboy]

At the risk of stating the obvious, it's easy because your light is aiding the predator. The prey are relying on the dark to protect them.

Probably true for the conger eel which I caught at night. But I got daylight video of mantis shrimps and sea snakes on the prowl and I was able to get quite close to them... A little too close in then case of the sea snake which went straight at me and past my dome port.

 

[vladimir]

Is that true Vladimir? I understood that eels have pretty bad eyesight and hunt mainly by smell and sound. It may be that the light is more helpful to the prey to warn them that the eel is coming. Just thinking out loud....

Well, in general, lights at night can easily provoke a feeding frenzy by whitetip reef sharks, jacks, etc:

But your point about eels hunting by smell and sound is correct, I believe, and well taken. Perhaps I am just wrong (ouch!) in the case of eels, and, as watboy points out, shrimp and sea snakes. (I have found sea snakes to be pretty oblivious to my presence while hunting, actually.) Or perhaps the lights prompt prey animals to move and reveal themselves that way.