Gary Bell/ Oceanwide / Black-finned Snake Eel (Ophichthus melanochir) buried in sand, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

Pascal Kobeh / Black finned snake eel (Ophichthus melanochir) buried in the sand, Sulu Sea, Philippines

Constantinos Petrinos / Blackfin snake eel (Ophichthus altipennis) emerging from burrow, Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Juergen Freund / Black finned snake eel (Ophichthus melanochir) outside its hole, free swimming. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Juergen Freund / Black finned snake eel (Ophichthus melanochir) with commensal shrimp. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Juergen Freund / Black finned snake eel (Ophichthus melanochir) looking out of its hole in the sea bed. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Sue Daly / Black-finned snake eel (Ophichtus melanochir) hidden in sand with head exposed, Lembeh Straits, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Jeff Rotman / Black-Finned Snake Eel (Ophichthus melanochir) with Cleaner Shrimp (Stenopodidae). Lembeh Strait, Celebes Sea, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Jeff Rotman / Black-Finned Snake Eel (Ophichthus melanochir) with head protruding from sand of seabed, Lembeh Strait, Celebes Sea, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Fred Bavendam / Black-finned Snake Eel (Ophichthus melanochir) being cleaned by a shrimp, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Doug Perrine / Black finned snake eel {Ophichthus melanochir} head sticking out of sand, Mabul Island, Borneo, Malaysia

Jacob Guy / Blackfin snake eel (Ophichthus altipennis) head above sand. The animal is waiting for prey to pass over. The rest of its body is buried beneath the sand. Lembeh Strait, Indonesia.