whip eel

Bascanichthys scuticaris

A whip shaped body hidden in Florida sands

Brown
Tropical
Regional distribution
Marine fish
Atlantic Ocean
North America
Anguilliform
Large
Tropical fish

The whip eel (Bascanichthys scuticaris, also known as the sooty eel) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean in 1880. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including the United States and the Gulf of Mexico.

Class: Teleosts
Order: True Eels
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Bascanichthys
Maximum length: 76 cm
Water: Marine
Body shape: anguilliform
Distribution: Western Atlantic: North Carolina to Florida (USA) and northeastern and southwestern Gulf of Mexico.
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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