American River Highlands [1] ( lat. Anguilla rostrata ) is a species of predatory catadromous fish from the family of eels that live off the eastern coast of North America .
| American river eel |
|---|
 |
|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
|
|
Anguilla rostrata ( Lesueur , 1821 ) |
|
Endangered speciesIUCN 3.1 Endangered : 191108 |
|
Has a serpentine body with a small pointed head. The upper body is brown, the lower is cream yellow. American eel has sharp teeth. Very similar to European eel, but has a different number of chromosomes and edges. The largest registered specimen weighed 7.3 kg, with a length of 152 cm.
It spawns at sea, after which eggs need from 9 to 10 weeks for the development of fry. After hatching, young eels move to the coast of North America and spend most of their life in fresh water bodies. The female can lay up to 8.5 million viable eggs. American eels are monocyclic animals and therefore die after the first breeding.
Adult blackheads live predominantly in fresh water, and are found along the Atlantic coast of North America, including the Chesapeake and Hudson's Bay . They hunt mainly at night, and during the day they hide in silt, sand or pebbles.
American eel is an economically important fish throughout its range. They are caught in large quantities for both food and aquariums. Eels feed on fish and invertebrates.
