Eels are carnivorous fish that feed on insects, larvae, worms, earthworms, molluscs (snails, mussels, slugs, clams, oysters), crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, octopus, shrimps), and small fish.
Eels are nocturnal animals, which means that they go out looking for food at night and spend the whole day hiding in caves, crevices, or hidden between rocks. These fish are solitary during all stages of their life. Typically, males live 8 years and females 12.
As they are primarily carnivorous animals, the eels’ diet centers on eating small animals – including fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and even insects.
Eels: Characteristics of eels
Many people are mistaken about the nature of eels and consider them to be snakes, because of their appearance, but in reality, they are fish that just have the appearance of snakes. They are present on most of the planet.
Eels are therefore fish with the appearance of snakes, which are distributed throughout the waters of the world. They are, outwardly speaking, characterized by the shape of their body, very elongated and cylindrical, with the exception of the posterior part which is compressed laterally. The head is also elongated and the eyes are rounded, small in the youngest and large in the adults. The lower jaw is larger and more prominent than the upper jaw, and both have small, very sharp teeth. Their skin is covered with mucous membranes and small scales (almost invisible to the naked eye). Their color is variable: their back may have blackish, greenish, or yellowish tones while the ventral area is whitish or yellowish:
Thanks to their thick skin and respiratory system, eels are able to resist out of water for quite a long time, as long as their skin remains moist.
They are found in both fresh and saltwater. Some species of eels are catadromous, that is, they live in freshwater but move to saltwater to mate and reproduce. Many eels die during these migrations.
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