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American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a snakelike fish.
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|  Distribution and size of leptocephali larvae of the American eel, Anguilla rostrata. |  Glasseel on the online in situ microscope at the LEO project. |
Economic value
American eels are very important economically to the east coast and rivers where they travel. Fisherman catch them to sell to other citizens. Other fisherman catch them to eat or keep it as a pet. Eels help the Atlantic coast by eating dead fish and might eat a couple of bugs if it's that hungry.
Classification
Anguilla rostrata's phylum is Chorda, class is Actinopterygii, order is Anguilliformes, and its family is Anguillifae.
Feeding
Anguilla likes to feed on live and dead fish. It also eats invertebrates and carrion. It might just eat bugs if very hungry. When it is real hungry, it eats anything in its path. Sometimes it might eat its own family.
Characteristics
Anguilla Rostrata has a snake like body with a small sharp pointed head. It's brown on top, and tan yellow color on the bottom. An Aguilla rostrata has no pelvic fins, but has sharp pointed teeth. Some people like to call the Anguilla rostrata (American Eel) a scary ugly water snake.
Reproducing
The female American eel spawns in saltwater. It takes the eggs 9 to 10 weeks to hatch out their eggs. The female lays up to 4 million buoyant eggs a year. The mother usually dies after laying eggs.
Habitat
The Anguilla rostrata likes to live in fresh water. It swims up and down both the Atlantic coast including the Chesapeake Bay. It prefers to hunt at night. During the day it hides in mud, sand, or gravel.
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