Speckled longfin eel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Speckled longfin eel |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Anguillidae
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| Genus: |
Anguilla
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| Species: |
A. reinhardtii
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| Binomial name | |
| Anguilla reinhardtii Steindachner, 1867
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The speckled longfin eel is also known as the Australian long-finned eel or marbled eel. Its scientific name is Anguilla reinhardtii. This amazing fish is one of 15 types of eels in the Anguillidae family.
It has a long body that looks like a snake. Its back, tail, and bottom fins are all connected, forming one long fin. The eel's back and sides are usually brownish-green or olive-green. They have small, darker spots or blotches all over their body. The underside of the eel is much lighter in color. It has a small opening for its gills on each side of its wide head, along with thick lips. This eel is the largest freshwater eel found in Australia. Female eels usually grow much bigger than males.
Description
Long-finned eels can grow quite large. Female eels can reach up to 1.6 meters (about 5 feet) long and weigh 22 kilograms (about 48 pounds). However, they usually grow to about 1 meter (3 feet) long. Male eels are much smaller. They typically grow to about 650 millimeters (2 feet) long and weigh 600 grams (about 1.3 pounds). Some eels that live in landlocked areas have been reported to grow even larger, up to 3 meters (10 feet) long!
Habitat and Distribution
The long-finned eel is native to several places. You can find it in New Guinea, eastern Australia (including Tasmania), Lord Howe Island, and New Caledonia.
These eels live in many different freshwater areas. This includes creeks, streams, rivers, swamps, dams, lagoons, and lakes. They are generally found more often in rivers than in lakes.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Like other types of Anguilla eels, the speckled longfin eel spends most of its life in freshwater rivers and streams. However, these eels are born in the deep parts of the ocean. Each type of eel has its own special place in the ocean where it lays its eggs.
After the eggs hatch, the tiny baby eels use ocean currents to travel back to the areas where the adult eels live. For the long-finned eel, they lay their eggs in the western part of the Southern Equatorial Current. This current then carries the young eels to the eastern coast of Australia. These eels can lay eggs throughout the entire year.
See also
In Spanish: Anguilla reinhardtii para niños
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Anguilla reinhardtii" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
