Sunda Swamp Eel (Monopterus javanensis)
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| A juvenile Sunda Swamp Eel found in a waterlogged grass patch by a road. |
Family: Symbranchidae
Species Name: Monopterus javanensis
Common Name: Sunda Swamp Eel
Presence in Singapore: Native
Habitat: Various freshwater habitats such as streams, ponds and canals.
Conservation Status: Least Concern (Red Data Book 3)
The Sunda Swamp Eel is one of two freshwater eels found in Singapore and arguably one of the most adaptable fishes. It has the ability to breathe air and can also travel short distances on land to search for new water bodies or escape predators (see below). This adaptation allows them to live in a range of freshwater habitats from urban canals to forest streams. Having reduced fins and no scales, it may look like a snake at first glance. This eel can reach to an impressive length of around a meter, making them formidable predators of smaller animals (usually invertebrates and fish) at night.
In the day, the Sunda Swamp Eel burrows into sediment and under vegetation, but have even been found in mud away from water. They breed by laying eggs in bubble nests similar to some gouramis and bettas.
Common Name: Sunda Swamp Eel
Presence in Singapore: Native
Habitat: Various freshwater habitats such as streams, ponds and canals.
Conservation Status: Least Concern (Red Data Book 3)
The Sunda Swamp Eel is one of two freshwater eels found in Singapore and arguably one of the most adaptable fishes. It has the ability to breathe air and can also travel short distances on land to search for new water bodies or escape predators (see below). This adaptation allows them to live in a range of freshwater habitats from urban canals to forest streams. Having reduced fins and no scales, it may look like a snake at first glance. This eel can reach to an impressive length of around a meter, making them formidable predators of smaller animals (usually invertebrates and fish) at night.
In the day, the Sunda Swamp Eel burrows into sediment and under vegetation, but have even been found in mud away from water. They breed by laying eggs in bubble nests similar to some gouramis and bettas.
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| A juvenile Sunda Swamp Eel found in a concretized drain. |
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 On 10 March 2024, we managed to document the rare predation of a Sunda Swamp Eel by a Red-tailed Pipe Snake (Cylindrophis ruffus). The Sunda Swamp Eel is said to be one of the preferred prey of this semi-fossorial snake and we managed to observe the snake poke around in the mud until the eel sprang out to escape. What followed was a short but slow chase on land before the snake managed to catch up. Catching the eel by its tail, the snake worked its way slowly up the exhausted eel before consuming it whole in under 30 minutes. This documentation might be the first in-situ sighting of this interspecies interaction but I would like to use this observation to highlight the Sunda Swamp Eel's abilities. As mentioned earlier, they are able to travel short distances on land and it did so to try escaping the snake! If you would like to read more, check out the Biodiversity Record here! |
References
- Lim, K.P. and Ng, K.L. 1990. A Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre.
- National Parks Board (NParks). Freshwater Fishes. Retrieved from https://www.nparks.gov.sg/nature/species-list/freshwater-fishes.
- Ong JXL, Tay JX, Tan T, Toh WT, Lee L & Lim LT (2024) Biodiversity Record: Predation of swamp-eel by red-tailed pipe snake. Nature in Singapore, 17: e2024044. DOI: 10.26107/NIS-2024-0044
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