tl:dw: We knew that's where baby eels came from but we didn't know how the adults got there or what the larvae looked like. Baby eel larvae was misidentified as another species and adult eel can take up to 18 months traveling at the bottom of the ocean to get there, during which time they grow their gonads which was another mystery.
Confusing when you think of freshwater fish that can't survive in saltwater. So then i'm guessing the baby eels just spread back out to freshwater sources
When it’s time to mate, eels are very determined to make it to their breeding site at the Sargasso Sea. The Sargasso Sea, a two-million-square-mile span of ocean, is the site in which all freshwater eels mate
It’s way the hell down there in the article, though. Apparently they travel to freshwater as larva.
That makes sense. It's relatively warm; there's a bunch of seaweed, and the waters are calm.
Edit: Wait, how was this a mystery?
"The 1920–1922 Dana expeditions, led by Johannes Schmidt, determined that the European eel's breeding sites were in the Sargasso Sea."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargasso_Sea
Hank Green can tell you the full mystery:
https://youtu.be/acEIGorImGs?si=_xi2IF-GEssAuyZ-
tl:dw: We knew that's where baby eels came from but we didn't know how the adults got there or what the larvae looked like. Baby eel larvae was misidentified as another species and adult eel can take up to 18 months traveling at the bottom of the ocean to get there, during which time they grow their gonads which was another mystery.
for anyone curious it got its name from the seaweed that grows there https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargassum
Where?
Sargasso Sea
What, every eel in the world?
First line even before the main article
Am I missing something? How is it a freshwater eel if they're in the sea?oh damn they migrate to the sea before reproduction
Confusing when you think of freshwater fish that can't survive in saltwater. So then i'm guessing the baby eels just spread back out to freshwater sources
Tbf salmon do the same thing
shit that's right
OMG this came to mind:
Man, nature is weird!
Love your icon and name. Metroid FTW
Thanks!
Wait, aren't there some eels that exclusively live in freshwater caves?
In the ocean?
Underwater at least; there are fresh water eels.
From the included article-
It’s way the hell down there in the article, though. Apparently they travel to freshwater as larva.
Eels are freaking weird, man.
This is absolutely wild! I'm so glad I saw this today.
Very interesting indeed! Thanks for sharing!
“What’s a nibba gotta do to get some eel D!!!”
— Sam O’Nella
As it turns out, eels don't grow their testes until mating season, which is why Freud was unable to find them.