True Facts: Five Freaky Eels

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Credits:
Dr Rita Mehta, UC Irvine
Dr. Michael J. Miller, The University of Tokyo
Dr Peter Wainwright, UC Davis
Alexandra Khrizman, Stanford University
Dr Kyujin Cho, Seoul National University
Dr. Dominique Adriaens, UGent
Dr. Julian Finn, Museums Victoria
Dr. Amatzia Genin, The Hebrew University
Research Group for Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates, UGent
New England Aquarium
NOAA & Ocean Exploration Trust
Video courtesy of Schmidt Ocean Institute
Bie Muusze
Toonbeeld
Jack Perks
Ellen Muller
ScubaZoo
Real Freedom Productions
RAITARO TAMI
Nick Hart
I like weird fish
Deedee
verukah

Citations:

Bouilliart M, Tomkiewicz J, Lauesen P, De Kegel B, Adriaens D. Musculoskeletal anatomy and feeding performance of pre-feeding engyodontic larvae of the European eel  doi: 10.1111/joa.12335.

Bshary R, Hohner A, Ait-el-Djoudi K, Fricke H (2006) Interspecific communicative and coordinated hunting between groupers and giant moray eels in the Red Sea. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040431

Canei J, Trupia A, Nonclercq D. Cytological analysis of integumentary and muscular adaptations in three sand-dwelling marine teleosts, Ammodytes tobianus (Ammodytidae), Gorgasia preclara (Congridae) and Heteroconger hassi (Congridae) (Teleostei; Actinopterygii). doi: 10.1111/jfb.14472.

De Meyer J, Herrel A, Belpaire C, Goemans G, Ide C, De Kegel B, Christiaens J, Adriaens D. Broader head, stronger bite: In vivo bite forces in European eel Anguilla anguilla. doi: 10.1111/jfb.13511.

De Meyer J, Van Wassenbergh S, Bouilliart M, Dhaene J, Adriaens D. Built to bite? Differences in cranial morphology and bite performance between narrow- and broad-headed European glass eels. doi: 10.1002/jmor.20776.

Kakizaki, Tomohiro & Kobayashi, Keisuke & Nakatsubo, Toshiyuki & Wakiya, Ryoshiro & Watanabe, Shun & Miller, Michael & Tsukamoto, Katsumi. (2015). Spawning behavior of garden eels, Gorgasia preclara and Heteroconger hassi (Heterocongrinae), observed in captivity. 10.1080/10236244.2015.1064213.

Khrizman A, Kolesnikov I, Churilov D and Genin A (2024) Zooplanktivory in garden eels: benefits and shortcomings of being “anchored” compared with other coral-reef fish. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1330379

Khrizman A, Ribak G, Churilov D, Kolesnikov I, Genin A. Life in the flow: unique adaptations for feeding on drifting zooplankton in garden eels. doi: 10.1242/jeb.179523.

Kim W, Byun J, Kim JK, Choi WY, Jakobsen K, Jakobsen J, Lee DY, Cho KJ. Bioinspired dual-morphing stretchable origami. doi: 10.1126/scirobotics.aay3493.

López Miranda JL, Celis LB, Estévez M, Chávez V, van Tussenbroek BI, Uribe-Martínez A, Cuevas E, Rosillo Pantoja I, Masia L, Cauich-Kantun C and Silva R (2021) Commercial Potential of Pelagic Sargassum spp. in Mexico. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.768470

Mehta RS, Donohoe KR. Snowflake morays, Echidna nebulosa, exhibit similar feeding kinematics in terrestrial and aquatic treatments. doi: 10.1242/jeb.234047.

Mehta, R., Wainwright, P. Raptorial jaws in the throat help moray eels swallow large prey. Nature 449, 79–82 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06062

Miller, M.J. (2009). Ecology of Anguilliform Leptocephali: Remarkable Transparent Fish Larvae of the Ocean Surface Layer. 10.5047/absm.2009.00204.0001.

Miller, M. & Norman, M & Tsukamoto, Katsumi & Finn, Julian. (2013). Evidence of mimicry of gelatinous zooplankton by anguilliform leptocephali for predator avoidance. 10.1080/10236244.2013.773128.

Muhammad Saif Ullah Khalid, Junshi Wang, Imran Akhtar, Haibo Dong, Moubin Liu, Arman Hemmati; Why do anguilliform swimmers perform undulation with wavelengths shorter than their bodylengths?. Physics of Fluids 1 March 2021; 33 (3): 031911. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0040473

Tyler, James C. AND C. Lavett Smith. Systematic Significance of the Burrow Form of Seven Species of Garden Eels. February 26, 1992. American Museum of Natural History Library, Vol 3037.

Tytell ED, Lauder GV. The hydrodynamics of eel swimming: I. Wake structure. J Exp Biol. 2004 May;207(Pt 11):1825-41. doi: 10.1242/jeb.00968

van Ginneken, Vincent & Vianen, Gerjanne & Muusze, Bie & Palstra, Arjan & Verschoor, Louise & Lugten, Olivier & Onderwater, Marjolijn & Schie, Sjoerd & Niemantsverdriet, Patrick & van Heeswijk, Richard & Eding, Ep & Thillart, Guido. (2005). Gonad development and spawning behaviour of artificially-matured European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.). Animal Biology. 55. 203-218. 10.1163/1570756054472791.

Watson, S., Schneider, A., Santen, L., Deters, K.A., Mueller, R., Pflugrath, B., Stephenson, J., & Deng, Z. D. (2022). Safe passage of American eels through a novel hydropower turbine.  https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10385

Written by Ze Frank