There are over 400 different species of eel. They can be found in freshwater and saltwater. Eels are fish that look very similar to snakes, but lack scales. They have fins and very sharp teeth. They can be found hiding between rock and crevices in order to surprise their prey. They also provide protection as eels have many predators which include fish, seabirds, racoons, and humans. Eels have even, historically, been regarded as a European delicacy.

So what makes these animals so interesting? We have no idea how reproduction specifically occurs in the eel. There are a couple of facts that we do know about eel reproduction. When ready to reproduce, eels travel to saltwater. We also know that the eel’s life cycle comprises five unique stages. Fertile eggs develop into leptocephali, a young larvae. The larvae, using currents to travel back to the coast of Europe, eventually become a glass eel. This phase can take a couple of years. Eventually, they enter the third phase becoming elvers. The longest stage of an eel’s life can last anywhere from five to 20 years. This is the yellow eel stage. The final stage is the silver eel stage, in which the eel makes its journey back to the Sargasso sea to spawn and die. It is in this final stage that reproduction is believed to occur.

There have been many ancient theories attempting to solve the mystery of where eels come from, but we still don’t know the answer. It was even believed that eels were born from sand, a debunked myth that Lucy Cooke explores in her book The Truth About Animals. What is more perplexing is no one has ever seen an eel spawning or an adult eel in the Sargasso Sea. We have found the youngest, and smallest, eels there which leads us to believe that the Sargasso Sea is their birthplace!

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