American EelAnguilla rostrata Lesueur, 1821

American Eel - Anguilla rostrata Lesueur, 1821: https://mail.marylandbiodiversity.org/taxon/3421
Taxon ID: 3421

Summary

American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) is a species in the genus Anguilla.

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Records

MBP has 297 records spanning 21 counties. We still need records from Garrett, Allegany, and Frederick.

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Details

Status

American Eels are catadromous, maturing in freshwater but migrating out to the ocean to spawn. Every American Eel was born in the Sargasso Sea, southwest of Bermuda. Eggs hatch into tiny larvae that drift via ocean currents to points along the Atlantic Coast. They spend several years maturing in freshwater streams before making their epic fall migration far out into the Atlantic Ocean. Spawning occurs in February, when females may lay up to 2 million eggs.

Relationships

Rainbow Snake is a specialist predator of American Eel.

Synonyms

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Resources

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Citations

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Wikipedia

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