Introduction to Eel
Eel, a snakelike fish. The eel has a long tapered body covered by slimy skin. Some species have scales. The eel has dorsal (back) fins but no pelvic fins. The largest species of eels reach a length of 10 feet (3 m) and weigh up to 100 pounds (45 kg). Eels have strong jaws with sharp teeth. They feed at night on fish, crabs, lobsters, octopuses, and small aquatic mammals and birds. They travel through the water with an undulating motion.
The eel is a snakelike fish with strong jaws and sharp teeth.Eels lay their eggs in salt water. Most species remain in the sea, but females of some species migrate to freshwater. However, they return to salt water to lay their eggs. Young eels hatch out of the eggs as leptocephali (small-headed larvae). Several hours later they become transparent and are called glass eels. About a year later the larvae lose their transparency. At this stage the young eels are called elvers.
The eel is a food fish, and is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe.
Are Eels Snakes or Fish?Eels may look like snakes, but they aren’t related to those slithery reptiles at all. Eels are actually fish. There are about 700 kinds of eels, and most spend all their lives in the ocean.
Eels that are in the family known as common or freshwater eels spend part of their lives in fresh water. Common eels include the American eel and the European eel. Most male common eels grow to about 1 1/2 feet (46 centimeters) long. Most females grow 3 to 4 feet (91 to 122 centimeters) long.
American and European eels lay their eggs in the Sargasso (sahr GAS oh) Sea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. As the young eels hatch and grow, ocean currents carry them northward to the coast of North America or Europe. These eels spend most of their adult life in the lakes, rivers, and streams of these two continents. When they are ready to spawn, the eels return to the sea.
Common Eels
There are about 600 species of eels. The most familiar eels are the American eel, European eel, conger eels, and moray eels.
The American Eelis a smooth-skinned fish with tiny scales. The male is 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) long, the female is 2 to 6 feet (60 cm to 1.8 m) long. The females migrate from the sea in which they were spawned to the freshwater ponds, lakes, and streams of North and Central America, Bermuda, and the West Indies. After maturing, in about five years, the female begins her migration back to the sea. In the fall the eel enters the sea, and by midwinter reaches a spawning area in the Sargasso Sea, about 200 miles (320 km) southwest of Bermuda. She produces 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 eggs.
The male American eel lives in brackish water near the coast. At spawning time, he migrates to the spawning area, where he meets the female. After spawning, both adults die.
The European Eelis a freshwater eel that grows to a length of five feet (1.5 m). Like the American eel, it migrates to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. The 3,000-mile (4,800-km) journey takes about three years. The European eel is considered a delicacy.
The Conger Eelsare saltwater eels found in all warm temperate and tropical oceans. They are aggressive and have been known to attack divers when provoked. The largest species grows to a length of ten feet (3 m).
The Moray Eelsare often brilliantly colored. A moray eel's body is generally four to five feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) long. Many sharp teeth line the powerful jaws. Moray eels inhabit tropical and warm temperate regions of all the oceans.
The Electric Eel
The electric eel, known for its ability to generate an electric current, looks somewhat like other eels but has different habits and is therefore not considered a true eel. It is a spineless, toothless fish that grows up to three feet (1 m) long. It is found in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers of South America. The electric eel's vital organs (brain, heart, digestive system) are near the front of its body. The rest of the body contains a platelike arrangement of organs that produce electrical current by a chemical reaction. The electric eel can produce a current of up to 650 volts—enough to severely shock a human. The eel uses this current to stun or kill the smaller fish it eats, and to defend itself against enemies.
The electric eel produces a current of up to 650 volts.How Shocking Is an Electric Eel?You might be shocked to find out that, despite its name and looks, an electric eel is not an eel at all! It belongs to a family of bony fish known as knifefish. Even though it’s not an eel, an electric eel’s name isn’t all wrong. An electric eel produces electric charges powerful enough to stun a person or kill a small fish.
An electric eel has three pairs of electric organs on each side of its body. Each organ has thousands of muscle cells. The cells give off small bursts of electricity after a nerve sets them off. Each burst lasts about 1/500 of a second. It is short but powerful!
Electric eels live in muddy rivers in South America. They grow to 8 feet (2.4 meters) long.
The American eel is Anguilla rostrata; the European eel, A. anguilla. Both belong to the family Anguillidae. Conger eels belong to the family Congridae, moray eels to the family Muraenidae. The electric eel is Electrophorus electricus; it is the only member of the family Electrophoridae.