Eel

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An eel is any ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes , which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage, and most are predators. The term “eel” originally referred to the European eel, and the name of the order means “European eel-shaped,More info:wiki

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#10 EEL ANGUILLA ANGUILLA,More info:scottishwildlifetrust

Eels are very long, narrow freshwater fish which can grow over a metre in length. Eels look smooth and lack the obvious scales and gills of other fish. A group of bizarre fish called lampreys could be mistaken for an eel, but have large sucker-like mouths and no pectoral fins. Eels range in colour above, from silver to olive-green, and have yellow bellies. Young eels (known as ‘elvers’) are almost completely transparent.

Behaviour

Eels can be found in rivers and ditches but leave the freshwater to breed at sea, in an area of the west Atlantic called the Sargasso Sea. Elvers return to freshwater rivers to develop. Eels are predators and scavengers, feeding on dead animals, fish eggs, invertebrates and other fish.

#9 EEL ,More info:worldanimalfoundation

Although eels look like snakes, they are fish and belong to the order Anguilliformes, of which there are about 800 species. The term “eel” is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.

The main species of true eels include American eels, European eels, moray eels and conger eels. Most eels are predators and feed on fish, snails, frogs, octopuses, crabs, lobsters and mussels. Eels feed during the night and rest during the day. These aquatic creatures rely on their excellent sense of smell to hunt for prey.

Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 2 inches in the one-jawed eel, to 13 feet in the slender giant moray. Adults range in weight from 1.1 oz to well over 55 lb. The heaviest true eel is the European conger. The maximum size of this species has been reported as reaching a length of 10 feet and a weight of 240 lb. Other eels are longer, but do not weigh as much.

Eels possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal fin, forming a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal. Many eels have scales beneath their thick skin.

#8 American Eel Fish Mount ,More info:coasttocoastfishmounts

#7 ELECTRIC EEL ,More info:nationalgeographic

#6 Shocking Find: Electric Eels Can Leap Out of Water to Attack,More info:nationalgeographic

In an unusual discovery, electric eels leap from the water to attack predators with a high-voltage punch, a new study says.

In recent experiments, a scientist found that the South American fish go after large, moving, and partially submerged objects, pressing their chins against the target to discharge shocks. (Also see “The Electric Eel’s Superpower Just Got Even Cooler.”)

The finding lends support to a centuries-old account of eel fishing by the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt.

In 1800, Humboldt observed native fishermen in Venezuela collecting electric eels by “fishing with horses.” The men herded horses into a muddy pool containing electric eels, provoking the eels to repeatedly attack. After the eels had exhausted themselves—and caused a few horses to drown—the natives safely captured the five-foot-long (1.5-meter-long) fish.