True eel
| Eels Temporal range: Cretaceous–Recent |
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| American eel (Anguilla rostrata) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Superorder: | Elopomorpha |
| Order: |
Anguilliformes L. S. Berg, 1943 |
| Suborders | |
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Anguilloidei |
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| This article is one of a series on |
| Commercial fish |
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| Large pelagic |
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billfish, bonito mackerel, salmon shark, tuna |
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| Forage |
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anchovy, herring menhaden, sardine shad, sprat |
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| Demersal |
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cod, eel, flatfish pollock, ray |
| Mixed |
| carp, tilapia |
Anguilloidei
Congroidei
Nemichthyoidei
Synaphobranchoidei
An eel is any fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (/æŋˌɡwɪlᵻˈfɔːrmiːz/), which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and about 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" (originally referring to the European eel) is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 5 cm (2.0 in) in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to 4 m (13 ft) in the slender giant moray. Adults range in weight from 30 g (1.1 oz) to well over 25 kg (55 lb). They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal fin, forming a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal. Eels swim by generating body waves which travel the length of their bodies. They can swim backwards by reversing the direction of the wave.
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Wikipedia