American Eel
OrderAnguilliformes
FamilyAnguillidae
HabitatRivers & Sargasso Sea
RangeW. Atlantic
Max Length152 cm
Max Weight7.5 kg
DietCarnivore
About the American Eel
Spends most of its life in rivers and lakes of eastern North America, then migrates thousands of kilometers to spawn in the Sargasso Sea. The transparent young, called glass eels, drift back on ocean currents. Dams and overfishing for the Asian market have caused steep declines.