Rare blue eel stuns divers in underwater footage: Floating ‘piece of silk’
'Electric' blue eel is mesmerizing in underwater footage
A group of divers witnessed an exceptionally rare sight while exploring the waters of Indonesia: a ribbon eel rippling gracefully through the water. Credit: Salty Finns Diving Bali via Storyful
A rare blue ribbon eel was captured in underwater footage earlier this year in the waters of Indonesia.
Video perspective:
Footage filmed by Tjeerd Schone shows the beautiful yellow and blue ribbon eel gliding through the water off Padangbai, a small coastal town near Bali.
The coils of its body are mesmerizing to watch.
What they're saying:
"Seriously, look at this incredible creature!" they wrote on TikTok. "It’s now perfectly clear why it’s named the ribbon eel—it’s a living, breathing, electric-blue piece of silk floating through the water! What a show of elegance and color. Nature really knows how to put on a performance."
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Blue ribbon eel
Image: Salty Finns Diving Bali via Storyful
The backstory:
Juvenile ribbon eels start their journey in a stunning black hue, according to a Coral Divers group in South Africa, but as they mature, their colours evolve into a vibrant display: adult males flaunt a bright blue with striking yellow highlights, while females take on a beautiful yellow shade.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History says all blue ribbon eels also undergo a sex transformation in their lifetime, which is common for fish species. These ones in particular are born as males and become female with age.
Eels often have their mouths open to breathe, as is seen on video with the blue eel captured here.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from Storyful, a social media video licensing agency. Background Information was taken from Coral Divers of Sodwana Bay in South Africa and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. This story was reported from Detroit.