MadSci Network: Zoology
Query:

Re: do electric eels migrate or/and hibernate?

Date: Wed Nov 17 17:24:11 2004
Posted By: Peter Gaul, Grad student, OHS & Environmental Management, company - non educational
Area of science: Zoology
ID: 1099601068.Zo
Message:

Hi Joshua,

Eels that live in the ocean do migrate at times of the year.  They travel 
from where they live to certain areas to make young eels.

In this migration they can swim for many months, sometimes a whole year, 
and in the cold months of winter they sometimes hibernate.
See http://www.fao.
org/wairdocs/tan/x5915e/x5915e01.htm

BUT an electric eel isn't really an eel.  They are actually a type of 
fish and their really long tail makes them look like an eel.  It is a 
funny fish though because it gets most of its air by coming to the 
surface and breathing like we do. http://whozoo.o
rg/Intro2000/tashcorm/tempagetwo.htm

Electric eels live in the warm waters of the Amazon river so they do not 
need to sleep during the cold months and do not travel long distances to 
avoid the cold or to mate. htt
p://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2001/riis/electriceels.htm

Here they enjoy eating the fish of the rivers and are generally quite 
safe from predators due to their ability to shock.  Even the fishermen 
who catch their meals on the river avoid the eels because they can be 
shocked and because the eels caught in their net shock the rest of the 
catch to death. Electric eels are even known to shock up to 8 hrs after 
they have been killed by fishermen.  htt
p://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2001/riis/electriceels.htm

Hope this helped you.  You can learn lost more about eels and other 
animals either here on MadSci or at  http://whozoo.o
rg/Intro2000/tashcorm/tempagetwo.htm 

Bye

Peter





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