European eel

Anguilla anguilla · The European eel is a snake-like fish that spawns in the Sargasso Sea and spreads across the Atlantic Ocean, its coasts, and the rivers that flow into it.

European eel
Photo: jujurenoult, CC BY 4.0
European eel
Photo: David Perez, CC BY 3.0
European eel
Photo: jujurenoult, CC BY 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderAnguilliformes
FamilyAnguillidae
GenusAnguilla
SpeciesAnguilla anguilla

Where it lives

Rivers from Iceland to Morocco and the Mediterranean; breeds in the Sargasso Sea.

Fun facts

  • One captive European eel, the Brantevik Eel, reportedly lived for 155 years in the well of a family home in southern Sweden.
  • Scientists have never seen European eels mate in the wild, and their life story stayed a mystery for thousands of years.
  • European eels pass through five life stages, which were once mistaken for different species.
  • Baby eels called glass eels are see-through, and they later grow into tiny versions of adults called elvers.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).