Ribbon Eels

Ribbon eels start life jet black as juvenile males, transform to electric blue with yellow snout as breeding males, then change sex and colour again to fully yellow as females. The species was thought to be three separate eels until the colour-change cycle was confirmed in the 1980s.

They live in burrows on sandy substrate near coral rubble — only head and front body visible, swaying like an animated ribbon. Slow approach lets you photograph the open-mouthed pose without spooking them; sudden movement and they vanish into the burrow.

Common across muck and rubble sites in SE Asia — Lembeh, Anilao, Bali (Tulamben), Andaman. Local guides know specific burrows. The blue-male phase is the most photographed; yellow females are rarer encounters.