The King snake eel (Ophichthus rex) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by James Erwin Böhlke and John H. Caruso in 1980. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Florida to Texas, USA, in the northern Gulf of Mexico in the western Atlantic Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 15 to 365 metres (49 to 1,198 ft), and inhabits offshore waters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 211 centimetres (83 in); the maximum recorded weight is 23.6 kilograms (52 lb). The King snake eel is often caught near oil platforms by anglers.