these wiggly fellas are Anguilla dieffenbachii, orNew Zealandlongfin eels. the ones in local rivers and preserves are known for being gentle, food-driven little weenies that beg tourists for food.
especially hungry wild specimens have been reported to attack humans and animals by swarming them and ripping off their flesh, but these ones are harmless!
@eelpatrickharris how can you tell them from other freshwater eels, I’m curious? I was looking around, and it seemed like while some are pretty different (some have spots, etc), there were a bunch that looked basically like this. I was thinking American eels, since OPs profile says Texas, but I certainly couldn’t tell for sure.
the size, behavior, and thickness! you see, NZ longfins are known for travelling in herds, and they are big boys. while the majority of anguilla eels grow to 3.3 feet on average—a. rostrata, a. anguilla, a. japonica—longfins can and will grow to 6 feet and over. there have been reports of them growing to 10 feet, but due to overfishing, any specimens like that are long gone.
also, girth. top is a fully grown american eel (4 feet is their absolute maximum, 3 is average), and below is a new zealand longfin who has a few feet to go.
when it comes to mannerisms, you’ll almost never see american eels in groups outside of mating season, when they all migrate to the sea. they’re highly aggressive, distrustful of humans, and bitey. longfins, on the other hand, stick together and act like big water dogs.
it’s a common thing in NZ to have “pet” eels. people will feed scraps of meat to the ones in their local streams, and they’ll start wiggling excitedly when they see you! those eels in the video are just getting really pumped because they think someone has treats. (even though it’s bread, which is bad for them.)
they’re not as scary as they seem. NZ longfin eels just want to be your friend!
(note: this only applies to ones that live in preserves and rivers near civilization. eels from huge lakes and remote areas are generally starving and i don’t recommend trying to be their friend.)
demonicxiconic liked this 
stommevrouw reblogged this from shitbrainratface 
insomniwillow reblogged this from pontsalin 
ya-boy-yu liked this 
holyyouthsheep liked this 
mouthfacedickrat reblogged this from anxiouspuddle 
purchawik liked this 
hiimronbside reblogged this from leezuhh 
sleepysomnia reblogged this from the-king-of-lemons 
an-enigmatic-poet liked this 
mellofi reblogged this from spidersthiasus 
radio-cat liked this 
m0m0r0u30 liked this 
dontcryitsonlymike liked this 
morgan-the-lonely-brick reblogged this from warriormoustache 
warriormoustache reblogged this from feuerfranc 
doctorgeekforever liked this 
hansmanotas liked this 
secretsarethe-key liked this 
dinnkyroo liked this 
the-blue-ladybug liked this 
thoughtfulbearshoesports liked this 
z17391 liked this 
themboooooo reblogged this from the-king-of-lemons 
onemillionwordsofcrap liked this 
itsseaberri reblogged this from artsynerd-withnolife 
phenomjak reblogged this from tazzykiki 
chillmachinebroke liked this 
akariblue liked this 
gandyetc reblogged this from acecartoonplatypus 
moss--ss reblogged this from pontsalin 
ifreakinglovedragons reblogged this from acecartoonplatypus 
natasyadaartist liked this 
melondy-rose reblogged this from joy-in-flowers 
flurbejurbvondurp reblogged this from tazzykiki 
ask-alextheangel reblogged this from tazzykiki 
wormriddledheart reblogged this from doctor-sherlock-strange 
nyquilnap posted this 
