Ribbon eel

The ribbon eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) is a slender Indo-Pacific moray with enlarged nostril flaps and a long, ribbonlike body. It changes color as it matures, typically from black juvenile to blue adult and yellow male.

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Moray eel: A family of predatory marine eels with elongated bodies, reduced pectoral fins, and concealed jaws. The ribbon eel is a distinctive member of this eel family.
Sexual dichromatism: A difference in coloration between males and females of the same species. Mature ribbon eels show sex-associated colors, with males typically yellow and females blue.
Ambush predator: A predator that waits concealed before attacking prey that comes within reach. The ribbon eel watches for small fish from its burrow rather than roaming widely.
Blue ribbon eel: The blue adult color phase of the ribbon eel, usually associated with females. This familiar form is one stage in the species’ color and sex sequence.
Eel: An elongated fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes, which includes marine and freshwater species. The ribbon eel’s body plan belongs to the broader eel form.
Sex change: A biological transition in which an animal changes from one sex to another during its life. Ribbon eels are protandrous hermaphrodites, changing from male to female as they mature.
Burrowing: The behavior of excavating or occupying a sheltered space beneath a surface. A ribbon eel spends much of its time with its body inside a sandy burrow.
Black ribbon eel: The dark juvenile color phase of the ribbon eel. Juveniles are typically black with yellow markings, unlike blue adults.
Anguilliformes: The order of ray-finned fishes that includes true eels and moray eels. This order places ribbon eels among true eels rather than eel-shaped unrelated fishes.
Protandry: A reproductive pattern in which an organism functions first as male and later as female. This pattern describes the ribbon eel’s reported direction of sex change.