Home | Wild Files | N.H. Animals | Animals A-Z | Watch Online

Anguilliformes - Eels

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Osteichthyes
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes

There are 19 families and over 400 species in this order. Eels have long, scaleless, snake-like bodies. They don't have pelvic fins and their pectoral fins are either very small or nonexistent. They have long anal and dorsal fins. If they have a caudal fin, it joins in a continuous line with the dorsal and anal fins.

Eels are found in fresh and salt water habitats, but most species are found in salt water habitats. Female eels lay eggs.

Families
Anguillidae (freshwater eels) Chlopsidae (false morays) Colocongridae (short-tail eels) Congridae (conger eels) Derichthyidae (longneck eels) Heterenchelyidae (mud eels) Moringuidae (spaghetti eels, worm eels) Muraenesocidae (pike conger eels)	Muraenidae (moray eels) Myrocongridae (red eels) Nemichthyidae (snipe eels) Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels) Ophichthidae (snake eels, worm eels) Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels) Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)

Anguilliformes - Eels

Classification

Families

Explore the Natural World - Local & National PBS Video