spotted garden eel
A small eel that lives in sandy burrows, often seen in aquariums. Scientific name: Heteroconger hassi.
I saw spotted garden eels poking their heads out of the sand at the aquarium.
Spotted garden eels are timid and quickly retreat into the sand.
Katakana spelling is standard; the word is usually written in kana.
Rare kanji form; the first character 狆 means 'Japanese spaniel', used here for its reading.
Rare kanji form; 珍 means 'rare' or 'strange', used here for its reading.
The name チンアナゴ is a combination of ちん (possibly from 狆, a breed of dog with a similar face) and あなご (conger eel). The exact origin is uncertain.