The
eel is famous for both its slippery nature and its mammoth migration
from its freshwater home to the Sargasso Sea where it breeds. It has
suffered dramatic declines and is a protected species.
About
The
eel is a very long, narrow fish that can grow to over a metre in
length. It looks smooth and lacks the obvious scales and gills of other
fish. It can be found in rivers and ditches, but leaves its freshwater
home to breed in an area of the west Atlantic Ocean called the Sargasso
Sea. Young eels (known as 'Elvers') return to freshwater rivers to
develop. Eels are predators and scavengers, feeding on dead animals,
fish eggs, invertebrates and other fish.How to identify
The
eel is a snake-like freshwater fish. A group of bizarre fish called
lampreys look similar but have large sucker-like mouths and no pectoral
fins. Eels range in colour above, from silver to olive-green, and have
yellow bellies.Distribution
Widespread.Did you know?
Eels are able to survive out of water for quite a long time and may crawl through wet grass to reach water.
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