Electrifying Discoveries: Top 10 Fun Facts About Eels You Never Knew

1. Eel Puppet Masters

It turns out electric eels are the puppet masters of the aquatic world, skillfully zapping their prey into a choreographed dance of submission: These crafty sea serpents use electric shocks to hijack the nervous system of their unsuspecting victims, paralyzing their voluntary movement in a mere 3 milliseconds and cleverly forcing them to reveal their location.
Source => popularmechanics.com

2. Slimy Skincare Routine

If eels could take a bow, they'd certainly have a slimy performance, but fear not! They're not out to slime anyone, as they're actually the original masters of skincare routines: Eels boast a fabulous layer of mucus that shields them from parasites and bacteria, all while making an Olympic swimmer jealous by reducing drag to glide through water with utmost ease. Take note, next time you spot an eel, resist the urge to slime them in return – they've got their reasons!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know electric eels aren't actually eels? Discover how these 8-foot long, 45-pound shockers navigate murky waters and stun their prey using high-voltage blasts. You'll be "electrified" by these fascinating facts!

=> Fun Facts about Electric-Eels

3. Eels' Epic Road-Trip

Eels are the ultimate road-trippers, embarking on a "Finding Nemo"-esque odyssey to start their families – if only they had a van and some questionable snacks: European eels travel up to 2,275 km from the Azores to their breeding grounds in the Sargasso Sea, taking at least 18 months and moving at a leisurely pace of 2.9 to 11.9 km a day to save energy and avoid becoming fishy casualties. This epic migration is crucial for these critically endangered "Slippery Sams" whose recruitment rates have nosedived by 95% since the Totally Tubular 1980s.
Source => nature.com

4. Land-Surfing Eel Adventures

Behold the magnificent land-surfing eel – nature's amphibious slitherer capable of making fish out of water look like, well, a fish out of water: These slippery customers come equipped with a specialized organ called the buccal cavity, allowing them to breeze through air-breathing escapades and traverse terra firma in search of new aquatic playgrounds just as easily as they navigate the deep blue sea.
Source => aquariadise.com

5. Eels: The Shocking Truth

Eels: the shocking truth. Although they may not have the electrifying wit of a dinner party guest, some can actually deliver a stunning jolt of their own: these so-called electric eels aren't true eels at all, but rather a species of South American knifefish more closely related to carps and catfishes.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Eels' Extracurricular Lifestyle

When they're not auditioning for a role in a classic eighties rock ballad, eels have a pretty crazy extracurricular lifestyle: Their peculiar life cycle takes them from transparent larvae drifting in the ocean, to glass eels swimming up rivers and streams, before maturing into yellow eels and feeding on underwater munchies, eventually embarking on a gut-dissolving 3,700-mile journey back to their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Eelgrass: Mermaid Hair Care

Eelgrass - the wig for sea-bottom dwellers or a mermaid's hair care nightmare: In reality, eelgrass is an essential underwater plant which provides shelter and food to young fish and invertebrates, while improving water quality and preventing coastal erosion.
Source => fisheries.noaa.gov

8. European Eel: Tinder Troubles

If the European eel had a Tinder profile, it would likely swipe left on every captive breeding attempt like an elusive lothario of the deep, showing humanity it's just not that into us: Despite being a prized delicacy, the critically endangered European eel still prefers to be wild-caught, and efforts to breed in captivity have mostly failed. This slippery nemesis is now the target of illegal trafficking worth up to £2.5 billion annually, putting both the species itself and the livelihoods of coastal farmers and fishermen at risk. Let's hope our watery Casanova gets lucky soon, or it may be swiping right to extinction.
Source => wired.co.uk

9. Moray Eel Pretzel Twist

If you ever witness a moray eel doing the great underwater pretzel twist, don't be fooled: it's not practicing for an undersea yoga championship: these crafty green moray eels have the unique ability to wrap themselves around larger prey in a knot, effectively disabling them before tearing them into bite-sized pieces for the ultimate seafood feast – all while they prefer to dine alone, scouring small crevices in coral reefs and shorelines for their next meal!
Source => oceana.org

10. Eels' Frequent Flyer Miles

If eels had frequent flyer miles, they'd never have to pay for a vacation again: European eels embark on a remarkable journey of up to 2,275 kilometers (1,410 miles) from their homes in Europe and Africa, all the way to the Sargasso Sea to breed - a fact scientists confirmed by tracking the incredible voyages of 21 female eels using satellite tags!
Source => sciencealert.com