New Zealand Longfin Eel

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Anguilliformes

Family: Anguillidae

Genus: Anguilla

Species: Anguilla japonica

Descendant: other eels

Named by: Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Hermann Schlegel

Year Published: 1846

Size: 

• Male: 66.6 cm but reach up to 73.5 cm in length

• Females: ranging from 73–156 cm with an average length of 115 cm.

Lifespan: 12–35 years

Activity: Nocturnal 🌃

Thermoregulate: Ectotherm

Type: Bony Fishes (Eels)

Title(s): none

Other Name(s)/Alias(es): none

Pantheon: 

• Terran/Gaian 🇺🇳

  • New Zealander 🇳🇿

Time Period: Oligocene?-Holocene

Alignment: Good

Threat Level: ★

Diet: Carnivorous 🥩🐟

Elements: Water 🌊

Inflicts: none

Weaknesses: Electric ⚡, Leaf 🌿

Casualties: none

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Endangered (EN) – IUCN Red List 

Coming soon

The dorsal (top) fin is almost two-thirds the length of the body and begins much more towards the head than the anal (bottom) fin, making it the most straightforward way to identify a longfin eel. The fins of the shortfin eel are about the same length. Whereas the skin of a shortfin eel is smooth, the loose skin of a longfin eel wrinkles noticeably inside each bend. Compared to a shortfin, a longfin's mouth reaches more past its eyes.

Compared to males, female longfin eels are bigger and have longer lifespans. Males are typically 23 years old (12–35 years old), and their length ranges from 66.6 cm to 73.5 cm. With an average length of 115 cm and a range of 73 to 156 cm, females are significantly larger. Before going to the sea to procreate, females reach an age of 20 to 60. The North Island's longfin eels have quicker generation times because they migrate at a younger age.

A leptocephalus is the name given to the leaf-shaped marine larval stage of an eel's life cycle. As it reaches continental waters, it transforms into a glass eel, which subsequently gives way to colored elvers and finally the growth phase, the yellow eel. The marine-migratory silver eel, which is the last stage, is distinguished by its big eyes and silvery counter-shading.

The majority of Japanese eels that were fed to dark sleepers in an experiment tried to get up the digestive track and into the esophagus and gills. Some even managed to get away by using their gills. Others, completely wrapped in the stomach, swung around inside, perhaps looking for a way out.

Because their bodies are severely compressed and their muscles and organs are greatly diminished, you can see right through them. Their pane-like bodies are filled with a clear gel, and they have a basic tube gut (the stripe down the middle). Because their bodies are filled with a clear gel-like substance and lack developed organs or pigment cells, eels are transparent during their larval stage, also known as "leptocephalus," which allows light to pass through easily. This transparency serves as camouflage against predators in the open ocean where they spend their early life.

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Although this species does exhibit preference for particular habitats, the New Zealand longfin eel has been characterized as an ecological generalist because of its opportunistic feeding and capacity to live in a variety of settings, from estuaries to the upper reaches of river systems. Although it is more frequently seen in clear, stony-bottomed rivers, it has been known to withstand low dissolved oxygen levels and greater temperatures in the past. The smaller New Zealand longfin eel (less than 300 mm) preferred habitats in downstream areas with coarse silt and high levels of algae and crustaceans. Substratum and cover (debris, plant, bank, and surface) were crucial for larger individuals (>300 mm), although the amount of algae and invertebrates was not

Some eels can be dangerous, but not all eels are dangerous. These freshwater eels are harmless despite their snake-like appearance.

Native to New Zealand, the longfin eel is a temperate species. It can be found in the Chatham and Stewart offshore islands, as well as the North and South Islands. Individual New Zealand longfin eels can live in high country lakes and rivers because they can migrate up to 300 km inland and are found from sea level to elevations of 1,150 meters. Although study employing pop-up satellite archival tags on migratory females has suggested a tropical spawning place, likely in the south Fiji basin, east of New Caledonia, the species' spawning grounds are currently unknown. Given that their genetic makeup suggests they originated from a single spawning population, New Zealand longfin eels are thought to be panmictic.

• Movement Pattern: Full Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo/Gather

• Population Trend: Decreasing

• Population: ugh

• Locomotion: Aquatic

• Habitat: Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Warm Pond; Cold Pond; Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Warm Intertidal; Cold Intertidal; Kelp Forest; Coral Reef; Barrier Reef; Guyot; Neritic Zone (Warm); Neritic Zone (Cold); Pelagic Zone (Warm); Pelagic Zone (Cold); Benthic Zone.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Non-breeding): New Zealand (South Is., Chatham Is., North Is.)

• Berbania/Hirawhassa:

  • Extant & Introduced (Non-breeding): none

• Reinachos/Ityosel: 

  • Extant & Introduced (Non-breeding): none

• Thatrollwa:

  • Extant & Introduced (Non-breeding): none

• Sawintir: none

• Agarathos: none

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Past and Present Incidents - Individuals

• Terran/Gaian

  • n/a

• Berbanian/Hirawhassan

  • n/a

• Reinachos/Ityoselese

  • n/a

• Delphian/Thatrollwan

  • n/a

• Sawintiran

  • n/a 

• Jotunheim

  • n/a

The Recollections of Queen Arianna - Individuals

• Terran/Gaian

  • n/a

• Berbanian/Hirawhassan

  • n/a

• Reinachos/Ityoselese

  • n/a

• Delphian/Thatrollwan

  • n/a

• Sawintiran

  • n/a

• Jotunheim

  • n/a

• Coming soon

Coming soon

• Coming soon

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_longfin_eel

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/197276/154802213

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/New-Zealand-Longfin-Eel-1098500444