The surviving eels will then migrate their way back towards North America and into freshwater. The females can lay up to about four million eggs, who, once hatched, are small transparent larvae who float on the ocean’s currents for about 12 months (The Nature Conservatory). These eels spawn only in the Sargasso Sea, a warm region of water located in the southeast of the Atlantic Ocean. What we do know is that adult eels migrate downstream to the ocean by using what is thought to be the Earth’s magnetism and their homing abilities. Little is known about the spawning of the American eel, as no one has witnessed it. The American eel is a catadromous species, meaning they spawn in saltwater but spend most of their lives in freshwater (Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife). Males can get about 18 inches long while females are larger, averaging about 36 inches. They will then turn a black and silver or bronze eel during their reproductive phase. Adult American eels can have a wide color range, most being brown with yellow on the sides. These eels are very muscular and secrete a slime that creates a protective mucus layer around their body. They have short, round pectoral fins on the side of their body and a mouth filled with very small teeth. They are a prey species to larger fish, like bass, reptiles, some mammals, and fish-eating birds.Īdults have a long, cylindrical snake-like body with a single dorsal fin running along their body. They tend to hide in deep pools during the day and feed on aquatic invertebrates and fish at night.
They are most normally found in large rivers with continuous flow. These eels are found in any Ohio stream and in Lake Erie, but their home range covers most of the eastern United States.
The American eel (Anguilla rostrate) is a state threatened species of freshwater eel, and the only freshwater eel found in North America.
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