The fins of the American eel are attached to each other, as in its European relative. This migratory fish inhabits the eastern coast of North America and has a slender body covered with a mucous layer. Then, they return to the sea when they’re adults and don’t eat during this time. The larvae stay there for ten months and then travel to the coasts of Europe with the Gulf currents. They arrive in the Sargasso Sea to reproduce at the end of winter. It has a kind of fin that goes from the anus to the middle of the back. Moreover, this animal measures up to about 50 inches and weighs about 16 pounds it has no spikes and its lower jaw is longer than the upper one. This is one of the most popular eel species and common in the northern Atlantic Ocean and European seas. The eel is omnivorous but feeds mainly on small fish, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, and insects. A curious fact is that individuals will be either male or female depending on the salinity of the water (males if the water is saltier). Upon contact with freshwater, they undergo the metamorphosis that transforms them into eels. It takes them up to four years to reach their new home. Then, the eggs hatch a few days later and move through the sea currents to reach the river beds again. Once in a place that meets specific characteristics (up to 1640 feet deep and around 60☏), they reproduce and die after copulating and laying their eggs. These animals can travel over 2600 miles to spawn in the sea – unlike salmon, who only lay their eggs in rivers. There are two small fins behind the head. In addition, eels have greenish-brown, nearly black, microscopic scales, and the belly is yellow or white. Note that females are larger and their skin is covered by a mucous secretion that makes them slippery. The main characteristic of these fish is their elongated body that measures between around 30 and 80 inches. These animals go back to prehistoric times, and people have found fossils that they believe are about 20 million years old. They’re distributed in both tropical and temperate waters of the Pacific and Atlantic. The eel family is made up of fish that inhabit both fresh and saltwater bodies of water (euryhaline). Some of them could easily harm another animal due to their ability to deliver electric shocks. The eel is quite easy to identify because it looks like a swimming snake that hangs out in rivers and seas.
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