Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
eel
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
American eel (Anguilla rostrata) adults and larvae of representative anguilliforms eel metamorphosis eels conger eel (Conger oceanicus) North American eel American eel sharptail snake eel American conger (Conger oceanicus)
For Students
American eel (Anguilla rostrata)
eel summary
Quizzes
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.
Ultimate Animals Quiz
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
Read Next
animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.
Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World
Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.
10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish
Spider monkey swinging in a tree. (primate, jungle animal)
Why Do Animals Have Tails?
Discover
Facsimile of one of William Henry Ireland's forgeries, a primitive self-portrait of William Shakespeare(tinted engraving). Published for Samuel Ireland, Norfolk Street, Strand, December 1, 1795. (W.H. Ireland, forgery)
The Time a Law Clerk Successfully Forged a New Shakespeare Play to Impress His Dad
Stylish light blue jeans on wooden background, closeup of inset pocket
Why Do Jeans Have That Tiny Pocket?
Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.
10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish
Panama Canal infographic
Timeline and Map of the Panama Canal
Coriander leaves, fresh green cilantro on wooden background, herbs
Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap to Some People?
Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics
10 Best Hockey Players of All Time
The Jeff Koons tulips sculputure outside the Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao, Spain, Basque Country.
What’s the Difference Between Modern and Contemporary Art?
American eel (Anguilla rostrata)
American eel (Anguilla rostrata) The American eel (Anguilla rostrata) is found in habitats along the coast of eastern North America.

eel

fish
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://mainten.top/animal/eel
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Also known as: Anguilliformes, anguilliform
Written by
Peter Henry John Castle
Reader in Zoology, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Author of numerous papers on eels.
Peter Henry John Castle
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Related Topics:
moray
gulper
Anguilloidei
Muraenoidei
Congroidei

eel, (order Anguilliformes), any of more than 800 species of teleost fishes characterized by elongate wormlike bodies. Anguilliforms include the common freshwater eels as well as the voracious marine morays. Regardless of their final habitat, all eels probably pass through the leptocephalus stage, an extended larval phase, in the open ocean and undergo metamorphosis to a juvenile stage that is a smaller version of the adult. At maturity eels range in length from 10 cm (4 inches), in the deep-sea Cyema atrum, to 3.5 metres (11.5 feet), in the moray Thyrsoidea macrura. Eels occur to considerable depths in most oceans ...(100 of 2182 words)

Access the full article
Help support true facts by becoming a member.