The Anguilla japonica is known as the Japanese eel. The Japanese eel grows up to 150cm long and weights up to 760g. It doesn’t have any bright colors, it is very plainly colored. It lives mostly in water. It cannot live on land like some eels. They have a smooth body, folded lips, their snout is depressed, and the lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw. Japanese eels live in subtropical places. It lives in freshwater, brackish, and under marinas.

 

Japanese eels are found in Japan to the east of China Sea. Also, they are found in Taiwan, Korea, China, and Northern Philippines. At first, the population was low for the Japanese eel. Now the population is growing, in the last 14 years, it has doubled. They move really fast so they might be able to get food faster. They complete with bigger animals that like the same food as they do. We eat Japanese eel. It has to have a fast movement to stay alive. It can also get into small cracks.

 

As I read about my animal, I couldn’t believe how much people eat it. I learned that they are plain in color and that it looks like a snake. I also learned that the Japanese eel lives in Japan.

Author: Tommy J
Published: 02/2009

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_eel http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2988 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Anguilla_japonica.html

Photo Credit: Steffen Zienert http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=308