American Eel – 8/25/08

Observer: Paul Lauenstein

Observation Date: 8/25/08

Observation Time: 10:00 a.m.

Observation Location: Beaver Brook near the outbound train station

Common Name: American eel

Scientific Name:  Anguilla rostrata

Comments: American eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. The larval eels, called glass eels because they are transparent, drift with the Gulf Stream up the east coast. They eventually metmorphose into worm-sized black elvers, which swim up coastal rivers all along the east coast. This eel came into Boston Harbor and swam up the Neponset River and then up Beaver Brook to Sharon. Eels mature for several years in fresh water. When they reach three or four feet in length, they turn into silver eels and migrate back to the Sargasso Sea, where they spawn and die.

More Information: Wikipedia