Eels

Abundantly endowed with family members, eels can be divided into nineteen families and more than 600 species. Eighteen of those families live only in the oceans. One eel family lives in freshwater for a part of its life. Fourteen species of freshwater eels are found around the world. If you are an outdoors person, chances are you’ve spotted eels many times because they live in rivers, lakes, and streams where people swim and spend time.

  • Moray Eels: Beware! The moray eel is a serious biter. Many moray eels have jaws that open wide so they can swallow large chunks of food. They are brightly colored, and the giant moray eel (the largest of all known eels) can get up to ten feet long.The moray eel lives in shallow coastal waters all over the world, particularly India, China and Australia. They are found mostly in the coral reefs. During the day, they hide in cracks in the reefs, in caves or between rocks. They swim out in the dark to eat octopuses and many kinds of fish.
  • Electric Eels: If you like your pets to have an electrifying effect on you , electric eels are the way to go. Jokes apart, electric eels are a very interesting member of the eel family. They are related to catfish and carp but they act like eels and their long body makes it look like eels. They are mostly found in the tropical lakes and rivers of South America. Electric eels produce more electricity than any other living creature. Some large ones have an electrical charge powerful enough to disable a cow, stun a man or horse, light a neon lamp, and drive a small motor.Electric eels have three pairs of electrical organs on the sides of their bodies. If the eel thinks what it found is food, it uses its large electric organs to send out a powerful charge to stun, kill, and damage the prey’s eyes. If the eel is not interested in it, it swims around it.
  • Conger Eels: You may get a jolt on encountering the Conger eel since it so closely resembles a snake. They are found in shallow seas around the world and can get over 100 pounds. Some species live in freshwater. They eat almost anything that moves.Garden Eels. One of the most interesting conger eels is the garden eel. This eel burrows into the sand at the bottom of many tropical seas. Garden eels are small and have huge eyes. They also have very small nostrils. They rely on their sight and not their smell to capture their food. They have good eyesight and a bad sense of smell.
  • Garden eels live in large groups in underwater sandbanks. We can see that they plan the construction of their homes as meticulously as we humans do!Each eel has to make its own burrow that goes straight down into the sand. They dig these burrows with their tails. They do this with a gland in their tail which secretes slime. That makes the sand stick together. That is why the burrow does not collapse. The garden eel eats without leaving its burrow. It keeps its tail in the burrow and sticks the rest of its body out. When it gets scared, it takes its whole body into the burrow. It closes the burrow with a mucus plug to protect itself.