Strangely, eels all their lives just stand still and wait for food to be 'offered' to their mouths

Hawaiian garden eels hide in sand burrows on the sea floor, emerging only to eat zooplankton and then back down when they detect danger.

Hawaiian garden eels hide in sand burrows on the sea floor, emerging only to eat zooplankton and then back down when they detect danger.

Off the coast of Oahu is an area of ​​"steppe" under the sea. This is home to hundreds of Hawaiian garden eels. This creature has a shy nature, appearing only in Hawaiian waters.

This species is usually concentrated in the east central Pacific Ocean. Because they do not migrate, they have limited activity, living at depths from 11 to 53m, forming burrows in the sand. Males can reach a maximum length of nearly 60cm.

Picture 1 of Strangely, eels all their lives just stand still and wait for food to be 'offered' to their mouths

The Hawaiian garden eel is a shy creature.

The Hawaiian garden eel emerges only at sunrise and burrows into the burrow at dusk making it an active diurnal creature. Usually their burrows are abundant in shallow water, but larger burrows are located in deeper water.

They only partially extend their bodies out of their burrows to feed on zooplankton. Strangely, the Hawaiian garden eel spends its whole life just standing still trying to avoid the eyes of predatory sharks that may appear at any time. When in danger, they immediately retreat to the burrow.

Thanks to this stream of water brings food "offering" to their mouths. Each individual will "stick" to the bottom like that for a lifetime without moving elsewhere.

Picture 2 of Strangely, eels all their lives just stand still and wait for food to be 'offered' to their mouths

When in danger, the whole herd immediately huddled into the cave.

Also thanks to possessing large eyes, Hawaiian garden eels soon discovered tiger sharks hovering to hunt. Whenever they see a cave, the whole herd simultaneously retreats into the cave. However, tiger sharks just circle around. It seems to pay little attention to the hundreds of fragile creatures below, but to a position about 800 km northwest where a more suitable meal is available. The danger passed, the herd continued to emerge.

In addition, the other creature that scares them is the same thing because the males participate in a fierce war for territory.

Update 28 December 2021
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