Spotted garden eel Coloring Pages

The Star of the Aquarium! The Spotted garden eel

The Spotted garden eel is super cute as it pops its head out of the sand and sways back and forth. It is very popular at aquariums, but it is actually a relative of eels!

Its English Name and Where the Name Came From

The Japanese name for the Spotted garden eel comes from the "Chin," a kind of dog, because its face looks just like one! If you look at it from the front, you can see its round eyes really do look like a cute little doggy. In English, it is called the Spotted Garden Eel. That means a "spotted eel" that looks like "plants growing in a garden." When many of them poke out of the sand, they look just like plants in a garden, which is how they got this name.

Where Do They Live?

Spotted garden eels mostly live in the warm waters of the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.

• They love clean and quiet sandy spots near coral reefs.

• Many live in places about 10 to 30 meters deep. They live together with lots of friends in big groups called "colonies."

Body Length and Shape

They look like thin strings, but they are actually quite long!

• Their whole body is about 30 to 40 centimeters long.

• Most of their body stays hidden in the sand. Only a tiny part pokes out!

• Their bodies are very soft. They dig holes in the sand easily and slide in tail-first.

Patterns and Types of Spotted garden eels

There are a few different types of Spotted garden eels, and each has its own pattern.

• Spotted garden eel: It has a white body with lots of tiny black spots. It also has bigger black patches near its gills and middle.

• Splendid garden eel: It has orange and white stripes. It is very bright and pretty!

• Pearl garden eel: It looks like a Spotted garden eel, but its spots are even smaller and sparkle like pearls.

What Do They Eat?

The Spotted garden eel pokes its body out of the sand to eat zooplankton floating by in the water.

• They sway back and forth not to dance, but to look for food and catch it as it floats past!

• Because they wait for food coming with the water current, they usually all face the same way.

What Is It Like Inside the Sand?

The Spotted garden eel digs a straight hole in the sand just for itself to live in.

• It makes a sticky slime from its skin to hold the sand together, so the hole never caves in.

• When an enemy comes close, it hides inside its hole in a flash! It is very shy and careful.

Color the Patterns Carefully

The picture you sent shows one eel with spots (Spotted garden eel) and one with stripes (Splendid garden eel)!

• Spotted garden eel (spots): Color the whole body light gray or cream. Then add the black dots one by one. Make the black dots next to the gills a little bigger. This makes your eel look real!

• Splendid garden eel (stripes): Color bright orange and white stripes. Make the orange parts a bit darker. They will pop right out in the water!

Make the Round Eyes Look Alive

Big eyes are the secret to making Spotted garden eel cute!

• Add a little yellow around the eyes. You can also put a tiny white light spot (highlight) right in the black part of the eyes.

• Give your eel a sleepy, dreamy look like it is staring far away.

Try Making Sandy Textures

How you color the sand where Spotted garden eel lives changes your whole picture.

• First, color the sand with light beige or yellow.

• Next, draw lots of little brown and gray dots on top. It will look just like real sand!

• Add a tiny shadow where Spotted garden eel pops out of the hole. It will look like it is really sticking out of the sand!

Show the Color of Ocean Water

When you color the background, use light blue at the top and darker blue near the sand. This shows how deep the water is!

• If you use paint, use lots of water to blend the colors. The sea will look clear and bright!

• Use bright colors for the coral and seaweed in the spaces. Your picture will look super fun and lively!

Color All the Friends Together

If there are lots of Spotted garden eel, try changing their colors just a little bit!

• Make one a little bit white, and make another a little bit yellow. Giving each one its own style makes the picture come to life!

• You can be creative too. A rainbow Spotted garden eel would be super fun!

Does the name come from a "dog's face"?

The funny name "Spotted garden eel" was actually given because its face looks like a Japanese dog called a "Chin". When it pops its head out of the sand and looks around, it really does look like a cute little puppy!

What does it look like inside the sand?

It looks short when you see it at the aquarium, but the body hidden in the sand is actually "super long"! It is about 30 to 40 centimeters long, and it wiggles its body to hide nicely in the sand.

Why is it swaying around?

They all face the same way and sway around because they are waiting for small food called "plankton" that floats in the water currents. When the food floats by, they catch it quickly with a snap!

They even fight sometimes!

They usually look like they are standing side by side peacefully. But if a Spotted garden eel gets too close to its neighbor, they might open their mouths wide to "scare" each other! But don't worry, they never hurt each other.