About True Eels
Elongate, snake-like fishes including moray, conger, and freshwater eels.
Anguilliformes are the true eels — morays, congers, snake eels, and the catadromous freshwater eels (Anguilla).
Morphology. Bodies are greatly elongated and serpentine, lacking pelvic fins and often pectoral fins; the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins are fused into a continuous fin around the tail. The gill opening is typically a small pore. Skin is thick and scaleless or with tiny embedded scales.
Habitat & distribution. Mostly marine (reefs, rocky shores, open ocean), with the genus Anguilla spending most of its life in freshwater and migrating to the ocean (Sargasso Sea) to spawn.
Ecology & human use. Predatory, often nocturnal ambush hunters (morays). Eels are important food fishes in Europe and East Asia.
