Difference between eel-like and eel

[Puriti]

One of the foreman at my school asked me what the difference was between the ropefish and senegal bichir we have at school and an actual eel because I told him it's an eel-like fish and I was like....I knew the answer to that at one point but now I don't know ^^; Can anyone tell me...the only thing I could come up with was size....because i've seen pictures of the electric eel that lives in the rivers and it's like the spitting image of them except long, fat, and produces electric current lol

[Lonewolfblue]

I think it's in the fins. True eels don't have fins, where eels like Fire Eels have fins.

[tropicfishman]

I belive your correcwt, seems right anyways

[andywg]

A quick wiki search produces this response which agrees with the reference books I have at home:

Eels lack pelvic fins and the associated skeletal structures. The pectoral fins (in those species that have them) are midlateral in position and lack the posttemporal bone, which connects the shoulder girdle to the skull. The caudal and anal fins are long, usually connecting with the tail (caudal) fin. The caudal fin lacks rays or may be absent. The body is very elongated.

The number of rays of the gill webbing ranges from 6 to 51, though sometimes they are absent altogether. The scales are cycloid or absent.

As an aside, the electric eel is not a true eel, but a member of the knifefish family. If you are ever lucky enough to see one swimming you will see it moves in the same manner as other knives (undulation of the anal fin) as opposed to the anguilliforme of movement (moving the body side to side as a snake does) exhibited by eels.

[hc8719]

there arent true fw eels, and technically sw eels are really fish. ropefish, kuhli's, dojos, dragon gobies, and bichirs are all just fish that evolved to laying on the sand all day, and the eel shape just worked for that

[andywg]

Originally Posted by hc8719

there arent true fw eels,

Unless you count gymnothorax polyuranodon the true freshwater moray eel

[Puriti]

^^; then is an electric eel an "eel-like" fish then? They have tiny little pectoral fins...lol It looks more like a bichir .___. lol

[hc8719]

Originally Posted by Puriti

^^; then is an electric eel an "eel-like" fish then? They have tiny little pectoral fins...lol It looks more like a bichir

and are capable of killing even cows with their electrical charges, 9 hours after the eel has died.

God must have been like, "what if i supercharged a giant eel(-like fish) from the amazon"

[Puriti]

This is kinda off topic..sort of.... but I couldn't resist xD I found it when I was looking up an electric eel picture

[Lonewolfblue]

LOL, love the pic, lol....