American eel: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the American eel lives – recorded in 5 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Anguilla rostrata
Group	Bony fish
Status	Endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	5 countries
Continents	North America
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Anguilliformes
Family	Anguillidae

Where does the American eel live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the American eel in 5 countries and territories across North America. In United States it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the American eel endangered?

The American eel’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the American eel?

The American eel (Anguilla rostrata) is a ray-finned fish in the order Anguilliformes and the family Anguillidae, genus Anguilla. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the American eel

The American eel (Anguilla rostrata) is a facultative catadromous eel found on the eastern coast of North America. Freshwater eels are fish belonging to the elopomorph superorder, a group of phylogenetically ancient teleosts. The American eel has a slender, supple, snake-like body that is covered with a mucus layer, which makes the eel appear to be naked and slimy despite the presence of minute scales. A long dorsal fin runs from the middle of the back and is continuous with a similar ventral fin. Pelvic fins are absent, and relatively small pectoral fins can be found near the midline, followed by the head and gill covers. Variations exist in coloration, from olive green, brown shading to greenish-yellow and light gray or white on the belly. Eels from clear water are often lighter than those from dark, tannic acid streams.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article American eel (revision 1379197883), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q469632 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).