"of tiny, backward-facing teeth. There is a single nostril near the eyes. There are no gill covers and the seven gill openings are visible just behind the head. The fish has no scales or paired fins, but has two elongated dorsal fins, the hindmost of which nearly joins onto the small tail fin. The Caspian lamprey is a silvery-grey colour. The Caspian lamprey is an anadromous fish which spends its adult life in the Caspian Sea and migrates up the Volga, Sura, and other rivers to spawn. It was at one time a common fish caught in nets and fish"
"mouth, which is much larger than its body. The mouth is loosely hinged, and can be opened wide enough to swallow a fish much larger than the eel itself. The pouch-like lower jaw resembles that of a pelican, hence its name. The lower jaw is hinged at the base of the head, with no body mass behind it, making the head look disproportionately large. When it feeds on prey, water that is ingested is expelled via the gills. Gulper eels are black and some subspecies may have a thin lateral white stripe. They are ray-finned fish, and only resemble eels"
"Hagfish Hagfish, the class Myxini (also known as Hyperotreti), are eel-shaped, slime-producing marine fish (occasionally called slime eels). They are the only known living animals that have a skull but no vertebral column, although hagfish do have rudimentary vertebrae. Along with lampreys, hagfish are jawless; they are the sister group to jawed vertebrates, and living hagfish remain similar to hagfish from around 300 million years ago. The classification of hagfish had been controversial. The issue was whether the hagfish was a degenerate type of vertebrate-fish that through evolution had lost its vertebrae (the original scheme) and was most closely related"
"They are generally black in color, and are found at depths of over 2,000 m (6,600 ft). The fifteen known species are: Monognathus Monognathus, or onejaw, is the only genus of the family Monognathidae of deep-sea, eel-like fishes. The name comes from the Greek ""monos"" meaning “one” and ""gnathos"" meaning “jaw”, a reference to the large mouth in comparison with the rest of the fish, and also the absence of an upper jaw (maxilla and premaxilla bones are absent). The dorsal and anal fins lack bony supports and the pectoral fins are missing. The snout has a fang which is"
"of the species lack scales. The eyes are small, and in some cave-dwelling species, they are beneath the skin, so the fish is blind. The gill membranes are fused, and the gill opening is either a slit or pore underneath the throat. The swim bladder and ribs are also absent. These are all believed to be adaptations for burrowing into soft mud during periods of drought, and swamp eels are often found in the mud underneath a dried-up pond. Most of the species can breathe air, allowing them to survive in low-oxygenated water, and to migrate overland between ponds on"
"teeth of the bottom row tend to be larger than those on top. They have a lateral line with 32-37 lateral line pores before the anus. There is no known importance of silver congers to humans. They are harmless, not traded, and not used by humans. Freckled pike-conger The freckled pike-conger (""Hoplunnis macrura""), also known as the silver conger, is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae (duckbill/witch eels). It was described by Isaac Ginsburg in 1951. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico, Colombia, and towards the"
"on its body and like most fishes, it is laterally flattened. The only marking on its body is a thin lateral stripe that extends from its head to its tail. The scales on its body are composed of round lateral scales called cycloid scales. It has a slightly subterminal mouth and no adipose fin. Like other members of the Cyprinidae family, the pallid shiner is a toothless fish and has no stomach. Instead they chew their food using gill rakers on their gills and pharyngeal teeth. Its caudal fin is white and is forked with pointed tips. The dorsal fin"
"Snubnosed eel The snubnosed eel, ""Simenchelys parasitica"", also known as the pug-nosed eel, slime eel, or snub-nose parasitic eel, is a species of deep-sea eel and the only member of its genus. Some authors classify it as the sole member of the subfamily Simenchelyinae of the family Synaphobranchidae, or cutthroat eels, while others place it in its own monotypic family, the Simenchelyidae. It is found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, typically at a depth of near the bottom. Although typically a scavenger, it is better known for using its powerful jaws and teeth to burrow into larger fishes as"
"Lesser sand eel The lesser sand eel or sand lance (""Ammodytes tobianus"") is a species of fish in the sand lance family Ammodytidae. It is an elongated cylindrical fish which may be up to long. The body of the lesser sand eel has an elongated shape with a rounded cross section. The head is also elongated and pointed, and the sharp prominent lower jaw projects further than the upper jaw. When the mouth is opened, the two jaws form a tube through which food is sucked in. The top of the fish's mouth lacks teeth. The scales of the belly"
"Pelican eel The gulper eel (""Eurypharynx pelecanoides"") is a deep-sea fish rarely seen by humans, though it is occasionally caught in fishing nets. It is an eel-like fish and the only known member of the genus ""Eurypharynx"" and the family Eurypharyngidae. It belongs to the order Saccopharyngiformes, which is closely related to the true eels in Anguilliformes. It is also referred to as the pelican eel, pelican gulper, and umbrella-mouth gulper. The specific epithet ""pelecanoides"" refers to the pelican, as the fish's large mouth is reminiscent of that of the bird. The gulper eel's most notable feature is its large"
"eels. Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (""Monognathus ahlstromi"") to in the slender giant moray. Adults range in weight from to well over . 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. Most eels live in the shallow waters of the ocean"
"Swamp eel The swamp eels (also written ""swamp-eels"") are a family (Synbranchidae) of freshwater eel-like fishes of the tropics and subtropics. Most species are able to breathe air and typically live in marshes, ponds and damp places, sometimes burying themselves in the mud if the water source dries up. They have various adaptations to suit this lifestyle; they are long and slender, they lack pectoral and pelvic fins, and their dorsal and anal fins are vestigial. They lack scales and a swimbladder, and their gills open on the throat in a slit or pore. Oxygen can be absorbed through the"
"Saccopharynx Saccopharynx is a genus of deep-sea eel-like fishes with large mouths, distensible stomachs and long, scaleless bodies. Commonly, these fish are called gulpers or gulper eels. It is the only genus in the family Saccopharyngidae, and is part of the derived lineage of the ""saccopharyngiforms,"" which includes other mid-water eel species. The name is from Latin ""saccus"" meaning ""sack"" and Greek φάρυγξ, ""pharynx"". They are generally black in color, and can grow to lengths of 2 m (6.5 feet). They have been found at depths of 1,800 m (6,000 ft). Their tails are tipped by a luminous, bulb-shaped organ."
"Eels are of the order Anguilliformes, while ""M. albus"" is of the order Synbranchiformes. The Asian swamp eel has a scaleless, anguilliform (snake-like) body that grows to a meter or less, typically 25 to 40 cm as an adult. As a swamp eel, it has a tapering tail and blunt snout, and lacks pectoral and pelvic fins. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are rudimentary, with the caudal fin often absent. These fins serve to protect the swamp eel against rolling, and assist in sudden turns and stops. Its gill membranes are fused, but one v-shaped gill is located beneath"
"Monognathus Monognathus, or onejaw, is the only genus of the family Monognathidae of deep-sea, eel-like fishes. The name comes from the Greek ""monos"" meaning “one” and ""gnathos"" meaning “jaw”, a reference to the large mouth in comparison with the rest of the fish, and also the absence of an upper jaw (maxilla and premaxilla bones are absent). The dorsal and anal fins lack bony supports and the pectoral fins are missing. The snout has a fang which is connected to glands. Typical lengths are from 4 to 10 cm (1.5–4 in), the maximum length recorded is 15.9 cm (6.3 in)."
"Lesser spiny eel The lesser spiny eel, ""Macrognathus aculeatus"", is a Southeast Asian tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Mastacembelidae family. They are uncommonly found in aquaria. The eel has an upper-body that is yellow, a black line down the middle and the lower-body is usually a mix of white and brown. Along the backbone of the eel, the dorsal fin is preceded by numerous isolated small spines that can be raised, giving them the name. The dorsal fin also has many prominent eyespots along the base. There are many different variations of the Spiny Eel. They can grow up"
"the banded knifefish (""Gymnotus carapo""). Aside from the electric eel (""Electrophorus electricus""), Gymnotiformes are slender fish with narrow bodies and tapering tails, hence the common name of ""knifefishes"". They have neither pelvic fins nor dorsal fins, but do possess greatly elongated anal fins that stretch along almost the entire underside of their bodies. The fish swim by rippling this fin, keeping their bodies rigid. This means of propulsion allows them to move backwards as easily as they move forward. The caudal fin is absent, or in the apteronotids, greatly reduced. The gill opening is restricted. The anal opening is under"
"Eel as food Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from to . Adults range in weight from 30 grams to over 25 kilograms. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, forming a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal. Most eels live in the shallow waters of the ocean and burrow into sand, mud, or amongst rocks. A majority of eel species are nocturnal and thus are rarely seen. Sometimes, they are seen living together in holes,"
"of proposed family Neoceymatidae (known only from the Atlantic Ocean) are found in all major oceans. They have multiple internal differences from the rest of Anguilliformes. Notably, they have no symplectic bone, operclular bones, ribs, or swim bladders. Like many other eels, they lack scales and pelvic fins. Their myomeres (muscle segments) are V-shaped instead of W-shaped as in all other fishes, and their lateral lines have no pores, instead being modified to groups of elevated tubules. The jaws are quite large, lined with small teeth, and several types are notable for being able to consume fish larger than themselves."
"combination of Latin and Greek, and refers to the eel's appearance. The Short-tooth sawpalate's diet consists primarily of benthic crustaceans. It is reported to spawn between March and August in the Sargasso Sea. The IUCN redlist currently lists the Short-tooth sawpalate as Least Concern, due to the unlikelihood of it being endangered by any major threats as a result of its deep water habitat, and its lack of commercial interest to fisheries. Short-tooth sawpalate The Short-tooth sawpalate (Serrivomer lanceolatoides, also known commonly as the Black sawtoothed eel) is an eel in the family Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels). It was described by"
"Freckled pike-conger The freckled pike-conger (""Hoplunnis macrura""), also known as the silver conger, is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae (duckbill/witch eels). It was described by Isaac Ginsburg in 1951. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico, Colombia, and towards the mouth of the Amazon River. It dwells at a depth range of 55–310 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 54.2 centimetres. Silver congers eat small marine fish and benthic invertebrates, such as shrimp and crabs. Hoplunnis macrura tends to live in deeper waters"
"names to cave fishes; ""infernale"" comes from the Latin for Hell. The fish was later transferred to the genus ""Ophisternon"", the swamp eels. The genus name is derived from the Greek, ""ophis"", meaning a serpent, and ""sternon"", meaning chest. Synonyms for this species include ""Furmastix infernalis"" and ""Synbranchus infernalis"". The blind swamp eel is an elongated, wormlike fish with no pigment, no scales and no visible eyes. It seems likely that it is derived from the marbled swamp eel (""Synbranchus marmoratus"") and became adapted for life underground. It grows to a standard length of and the bulbous head bears numerous"
"it lacks pectoral fins entirely. Like many anguilliform clariids, its jaw muscles are hypertrophic, a modification that has been linked to increased bite force. The eel catfish hunts both in and out of the water, having a different method for each. In water, ""C. apus"" sucks water and food into its mouth. To catch food on land, the eel catfish lifts the front of its body up, and bends its mouth down on the prey. Its specially adapted spine allows it to do so without weight-bearing pectoral fins. Eel catfish The eel catfish (""Channallabes apus"") is an airbreathing catfish found"
"It produces a particularly durable leather, especially suitable for wallets and belts. Hagfish Hagfish, the class Myxini (also known as Hyperotreti), are eel-shaped, slime-producing marine fish (occasionally called slime eels). They are the only known living animals that have a skull but no vertebral column, although hagfish do have rudimentary vertebrae. Along with lampreys, hagfish are jawless; they are the sister group to jawed vertebrates, and living hagfish remain similar to hagfish from around 300 million years ago. The classification of hagfish had been controversial. The issue was whether the hagfish was a degenerate type of vertebrate-fish that through evolution"
"plant matter, and detritus. In captivity, they only rarely eat plant matter. Fire eel The fire eel (""Mastacembelus erythrotaenia"") is a relatively large species of spiny eel. This omnivorous freshwater fish is native to in Southeast Asia but also found in the aquarium trade. Although it has declined locally (especially in Thailand) because of this trade and overfishing for food, it remains common overall. The fire eel is not a true eel, but an extremely elongated fish with a distinctive pointed snout and underslung mouth. It is part of a group of fishes called spiny eels that also includes tire"
"brown spots and blotches. The freshwater moray has very small teeth in proportion to the size of its head, and, like all moray eels, is carnivorous. Its diet consists almost entirely of fish, and occasionally shrimp, bivalves, and worms, and it prefers to eat live food. Like many moray eels, it has poor vision but an excellent sense of smell, and it can be aggressive. The species' saliva is slightly toxic. While not lethal, a bite can nevertheless be very painful, and the injury may result in infection. ""Gymnothorax polyuranodon"" is a shallow-water species, often dwelling in water with a"
"insufficient statistical data derived from them, the IUCN Redlist currently lists the thin snake eel as Data Deficient. Thin snake eel The thin snake eel (""Ophichthus apachus"") is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, tropical eel known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Mexico and Colombia. It is known from two specimens observed dwelling in sand at a depth range of . The maximum length recorded was , albeit on an immature specimen. The species epithet ""apachus"", meaning ""without thickness"""
"has no ethmoid membrane (floor) and is attached only by the hinge and a modified tongue bone. There are several large, fang-like teeth in the front of the jaws, followed by many small barbed teeth. There are several groups of pharyngeal teeth that serve to direct food down the esophagus. Another deep sea fish, the pelican eel, has jaws larger than its body. The jaws are lined with small teeth and are loosely hinged. They open wide enough to swallow a fish larger than the eel itself. Distichodontidae are a family of fresh water fishes which can be divided into"
"are basal vertebrates. The hagfish eyes lack lenses and are covered skin making them not visible externally and are erroneously called blind eels (rhodopsin and melanopsin have been fourd in its retina: PUBMED 27189541). The New Zealand hagfish has a skull but no jaw or true vertebral column, it instead has a skeleton made up of cartilage. The rounded mouth of the hagfish is surrounded by 6 barbels, above that is their singular nasal passage and just inside the mouth is a dental plate with a row of posterior and anterior keratinous grasping teeth on each side (Clark & Summers,"
"IUCN redlist currently lists the smalleye spaghetti-eel as Least Concern. Smalleye spaghetti-eel The smalleye spaghetti-eel (""Neoconger vermiformis"") is an eel in the family Moringuidae (spaghetti/worm eels). It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1890. It is a tropical, marine eel known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. It is known to dwell at an approximate depth of 55 m, and inhabits substrates, burrowing into mud and sand. Its diet consists primarily of shrimp, crabs, benthic gastropods, bivalves, and worms. Due to its widespread distribution, lack"
"Thin snake eel The thin snake eel (""Ophichthus apachus"") is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, tropical eel known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Mexico and Colombia. It is known from two specimens observed dwelling in sand at a depth range of . The maximum length recorded was , albeit on an immature specimen. The species epithet ""apachus"", meaning ""without thickness"" in Greek, refers to the eel's thin frame. Due to the extremely minimal number of known specimens, and"
"of and has a dark brown, eel-like body with the dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins placed far back. Its common name comes from the frilly or fringed appearance of its six pairs of gill slits, with the first pair meeting across the throat. Seldom observed, the frilled shark may capture prey by bending its body and lunging forward like a snake. The long, extremely flexible jaws enable it to swallow prey whole, while its many rows of small, needle-like teeth make it difficult for the prey to escape. It feeds mainly on cephalopods, as well as bony fishes and other"
"Lesser thrush eel The lesser thrush eel, also known as the common worm eel and the spaghetti eel, (""Moringua microchir"") is an eel in the family Moringuidae (spaghetti/worm eels). It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1853. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from East Africa, Samoa, the Ryukyu Islands, and the southern Great Barrier Reef. It typically dwells at a depth range of 3–20 m, with juveniles inhabiting estuaries and rivers, adult females leading a benthic lifestyle in shallow oceanic waters, and adult males living in the pelagic zone. Adults breed offshore. Males can reach a"