The snub-nosed spiny eel exists in waters all over the world, except in the tropics,[1] ranging in color from light tan to bluish grey in small ones to dark brown in large ones.

[3] Snub-nosed spiny eels have eyes that are approximately half the length of their snout.

[2] The snub-nosed spiny eel is found in the subarctic Atlantic, around Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and Eastern Canada.

[3] The most northern record of the snub-nosed spiny eel was in the northeast Atlantic off Bjørnsund, Norway.

Spawning fishes can be found in the northwestern Atlantic from October until March.