Habitat of Giant Mottled Eels near Jeju

Basic information

Designation

Natural Monument No.27

Category

동식물

Designated year

1962

Location

서귀포시, 제주특별자치도— 제주 서귀포시 서홍동 2565

Coordinates

33.248781, 126.490497

The mottled eel, a member of the snake eel family, is a tropical species found in the eastern part of Africa, the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, including China, Japan and Korea. Jejudo Island, Korea and Nagasaki, Japan are its northernmost habitats. Mottled eels reach about 2m in length and have a large yellow brown or dark blue body and a light white abdomen. Though they are similar to snake eels, they have dark-brown-cloudlike patterns and small spots on their body and fins, making it easy to distinguish them from snake eels. After living in freshwater for 5-8 years, they spawn in the deeps of the ocean and then return to freshwater. In their Jeju habitat, their sources of food such as insects and small fish are decreasing due to water pollution and environmental contamination caused by urban development, which also prevents them from moving to Cheonjiyeon Falls.

Location