American Eel
Jacob Davidson
Scientific and Common Name
Habitat
Characteristics of Young & Adult American Eels
Young Eel
Adult Eel
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/fish/miscellaneous.htm
Mating & Reproduction
Leptocephali: The leptocephalus is the larval form. Leptocephali are transparent with a small pointed head and large teeth and are frequently described “leaf-like”.
Glass eel: As they enter the continental shelf, leptocephali metamorphose into glass eels (juveniles), which are transparent and possess the typical elongate and serpentine eel shape.
Elvers: Glass eels become progressively pigmented as they approach the shore; these eels are termed elvers. The melanic pigmentation process occurs when the young eels are in coastal waters.
Yellow eels: This is the sexually immature adult stage of American eel. They begin to develop a yellow color and a creamy or yellowish belly. In this phase, the eels are still mainly nocturnal.
Silver eels: As the maturation process proceeds, the yellow eel metamorphoses into a silver eel. The silvering metamorphosis results in morphological and physiological modifications that prepare the animal to migrate back to the Sargasso Sea. The eel acquires a greyish colour with a whitish or cream coloration ventrally. The pectoral fins enlarge to improve swimming capacity.
(Nedeau, 2007)
https://sciencevogel.wikispaces.com/Eel+Life+Cycle+-+American+Eel
Special Abilities/Needs
American Eels are unique because they are one of the few fish that are catadromous. This means they spend most of their lives in fresh water, but return to the sea to breed.
They have the ability to absorb oxygen throught their skins to breathe. This allows them to survive out of water for several hours. If an eel is found doing this, it is most often on a damp, rainy night.
Eels can also travel by underground waterways. This explains how eels are found in ponds that don't have a stream leading to it.
(Painter, 2009)
Niche in the Food Chain
Predators of eels include larger fish, gulls, and eagles.
The Eels eat in a rotational feeding style tearing parts of the food of by biting on the prey then twisting around so that they rip the meat off.
(Beebe, 2000)
Ecological/Economic Significances of American Eels
Economic-Global production of eels (Anguilla spp.) increased nearly 20-fold from 1950 to 2007 (Crook 2010), and 90-95 percent of current production is attributed to aquaculture of wild-caught young (FAO 2009, Crook 2010). Eel farming, whether in Europe, Asia or North America, relies on wild-caught juveniles because it has been difficult or impossible to produce viable offspring using captive spawning methods. (Lutz, 2012)
Works Cited
Beebe, W. (2000, January 1). American Eel. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://www.fourriverscharter.org/projects/2007 Watershed Wildlife CD/Animal Pages/American_eel.htm
Painter, T. (2009, January 1). American Eel. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/american_eel.htm