Ok, for all you eel lovers out there (you know who you are) here is what the February issue of Smithsonian has to say about the subject.

"The freshwater eel, Anguilla, has a life cycle that rightly belongs in nature's Believe it or Not. Eels perform amazing feats of survival. They can emerge from water to wiggle through grass, slither out of certain strangleholds, sometimes even climb concrete dams. Once you get to know the species. "Slippery as an eel" becomes a compliment. {...} They can bury themselves in mud to outlast a brief drought, then come to life when water returns. {...} Eels are found in both fresh and salt water, and in nearly all parts of the globe. (...) There are only 16 species of freshwater eels, but the census is complicated by numerous "eel-like" creatures bearing the name. There are the true eels: morays, thread eels, worm eels, European eels, American eels, Atlantic marine eels, conger eels, snipe eels, garden eels, gulper eels and slime eels (a redundant name if ever there was one). Then there are also wolf eels, tiretrack eels, Asian rice eels and every aquarium's "must see," the electric eel. Yet these are eels in name only. Even the 600-volt electric variety, found only in the Amazon River, is not a real eel but a relative of the carp. {...} But to be an eel, you also have to live the life. For anguilla, the eels commonly found in rivers, the life is one of hard travel. For morays and congers found in salty seas, life means hiding, hunting and scaring the bejeezus out of inexperienced scuba divers. {...} Widely thought to be vicious, morays are actually very shy. Divers often hand feed them, taking care to keep their fingers out of harm's way. Yet even a veteran diver feels his nerves quicken when a moray comes out of its cave. And comes out. And, eight feel later, is still coming out."

There, now you know everything you ever wanted to know about eels, but never thought to ask. In case you were wondering, the article starts on page 124 of the February 2000 issue, and is titled "you gotta remember, eels are weird" I kid you not, that is the actual title.

Ti "Yes, I have nothing better to do with my time."cia