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Slippery, slimy and seriously fascinating: Why the American eel still baffles science
Slippery, slimy and seriously fascinating: Why the American eel still baffles science

Yahoo

time25-06-2025

  • Science
  • Yahoo

Slippery, slimy and seriously fascinating: Why the American eel still baffles science

Eels. Just the name can bring shivers to some. Slippery, slimy and wiggly like snakes. All true, but some of us think they are amazing creatures. Yes, I confess to being enamored of these slippery devils. According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, there are more than 800 species of eels in the world, but contrary to popular belief, there is just one species of eel in North America, and that is the American eel Some may believe that the lamprey eel fits into this category, but they are very different animals. A lamprey is a cartilaginous fish, meaning no bones. Their mouths are jawless without teeth and are used to attach to other organisms to suck out their body fluids. Now, that brings shivers to me! They have a series of gill holes instead of slits behind their head in which to breathe. Lampreys are anadromous and migrate from the sea into rivers and lakes to spawn. Despite their appearance, the American eel is a true bony fish, with tiny teeth and an elongated, snakelike body capable of twisting and turning in any direction. Its body is covered in tiny scales, and its dorsal and caudal fins are fused into two long fins on the top and underside of its body. Their pectoral fins are tiny and located just behind the gill slits on their head. The slime is the mucus layer that protects them from infection. American eels are catadromous; they spend most of their life in fresh water and migrate to the ocean to spawn. More: Thresher sharks spotted off the Seacoast. But don't worry, you're not on the menu! Despite intensive research, much about the American eel's lifecycle remains unknown. What we do know is that these eels spend most of their lives in freshwater lakes and streams along North America's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. They can swim into salty estuaries, move over grassy areas, and climb obstacles out of the water to reach streams. Let's start at the beginning. Scientists regularly find American eel larvae floating in large numbers in the Sargasso Sea. Located about 590 miles east of Florida, the Sargasso is known for its calm, glassy surface and minimal wind. It is believed that adult American eels swim there from North America to breed. Although eels have been observed swimming toward the Sargasso, they've never actually been seen in the area. Scientists believe they have external fertilization in a spawning frenzy somewhere in the Sargasso Sea. This also has never been observed. Since no one has ever found the adult eels after they spawn, scientists believe that they die immediately after spawning. There is an awful lot we are guessing about these animals. We do know that they hatch into larval stages and float towards the coast of North America on the Gulf Stream. This can take up to a year, at which time, they metamorphose into glass eels. These are small, transparent eel-like animals that enter streams and estuaries into fresh water, where they once again metamorphose into what we would recognize as an eel. They will spend decades in fresh water and then undergo another metamorphosis. At the time of maturation, they will develop male or female characteristics. Their eyes change to better adapt to the ocean environment, and their digestive tract shrinks while storing fat for their migration back to the Sargasso Sea. Their life has such a complex turn of events. It gives me a sense of awe that the natural world has so many twists and turns, and still animals survive. Of course, that is without the interference of man. Eels are a delicacy in Europe but have yet to catch the taste buds of Americans. Something about the sliminess, I should think! In Maine, 'elvers' are a huge high-profit fishery. Elvers are the tiny-year-old eels that have returned from the Sargasso Sea as glass eels. Elvers are sold to the Asian market to be used as stock for their aquaculture, as eels are a delicacy in Japan. According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources, the price for elvers to commercial fishermen topped $2000 per pound in 2019! They are strictly managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission, hoping to avoid what has happened to the Japanese and European eels, which are endangered. The American eel is doing well as they are found throughout the coastal waters of North America, and the juveniles are only fished commercially in Maine and South Carolina. Some eels travel thousands of miles. How do they know where to go? There are many theories. One, published recently by Dr. Alessandro Cresci, focuses on the European eel. He discovered that they use a combination of moon phases and Earth's magnetic field to guide their migration. This could explain how the American eel finds its way back to the Sargasso Sea. Having said all this, I would add that the American eel remains one of the ocean's most closely kept mysteries. No one has ever witnessed their spawning. Each February, large numbers of larvae are found in the Sargasso Sea, yet neither adults nor eggs have ever been seen there. Where do they go after leaving the estuaries? Where are their eggs? So many unknowns about our ocean and so much to learn. Ellen Goethel is a marine biologist and the owner of Explore the Ocean World Oceanarium at 367 Ocean Blvd. at Hampton Beach. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Slippery, slimy and seriously fascinating: Meet the American eel

Historic photos show D-Day landings, turning point of WWII
Historic photos show D-Day landings, turning point of WWII

The Herald Scotland

time07-06-2025

  • General
  • The Herald Scotland

Historic photos show D-Day landings, turning point of WWII

The plan for the attack across the English Channel was put in motion at the Tehran Conference in 1943, where Allied leaders chose American general Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander for the operation. Omaha Beach, the second to the west of the five landing beaches, saw the bloodiest fighting of the battle, with American forces seeing 2,400 casualties - according to Encyclopedia Brittanica. The invasion marked the turning point in the European theater, as Paris would be liberated by the end of August, 1944 and Nazi Germany would surrender less than a year later, according to Here are historic photos from D-Day. See D-Day in historic photos From the USA TODAY Network: 'Welcome home': Iowan killed on D-Day to be buried on 81st anniversary of his death

Carroll County announces mandatory evacuations after release of water at Dix Dam
Carroll County announces mandatory evacuations after release of water at Dix Dam

Yahoo

time07-04-2025

  • Climate
  • Yahoo

Carroll County announces mandatory evacuations after release of water at Dix Dam

A large release of water at Dix Dam is causing concerns and mandatory evacuations in Carroll County, county officials said Sunday. As a result, parts of Carroll County are under mandatory evacuation, including Prestonville, Greensbottom, Happy Hollow and Blue Lick, according to information from Mike Ratliff, the Carroll County Emergency Management Director. Carrollton Mayor Robb Adams said in a Facebook live he'd been told by the Kentucky Emergency Management office that 10 gates at Dix Dam had been accidentally opened and were not able to be closed. But the Henry County Emergency Management said the dam was opened as 'a planned event' because Harrington Lake was full, and water needed to be released. 'If you're on the Kentucky River corridor anywhere, and you're seeing this video, you need to evacuate,' Adams said. 'You need to evacuate immediately.' Kentucky Utilities spokesman Daniel Lowry confirmed the release of water was intentional, adding the spill gates had been opened 'in a controlled fashion' since Friday evening, 'and everything has been going per procedures.' 'Flow into Herrington Lake has subsided starting this (Sunday) morning and we are in the process of closing gates tonight,' Lowry said. Franklin County Judge-Executive Michael Mueller echoed similar statements in an update posted to Facebook, calling Adams' statements 'misinformation' and saying all water released from Dix Dam was done so intentionally. 'They are not releasing 20 feet (of water), they are not opening 10 gates,' Mueller said. 'Everything they are doing has been planned, has been approved by Emergency Management.' In an interview with the Herald-Leader, Adams confirmed he'd talked to the emergency management office around noon Sunday, and to his knowledge, the gates at Dix Dam haven't been closed or cannot be closed. The emergency management office warned it could bring higher water than ever recorded along the Kentucky River, he said. Dix Dam is located between Mercer and Garrard counties, about 80 miles from Carrollton, and is operated by Kentucky Utilities. KU did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Kentucky River starts near Beattyville in Lee County and flows northwest, joining the Ohio River in Carrollton, according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica. In an emergency notice from Carroll County, residents were warned that if they do not evacuate, the county may not be able to assist them as water levels rise. 'The state has advised that the impacts of this major release are unprecedented and unpredictable,' the notice said. 'All we know for sure is that this is going to impact our area in a major way.' Carrollton is located where the Kentucky and Ohio rivers meet, both of which have experienced large amounts of flooding in the aftermath of days of near-constant rain. The Kentucky River is expected to rise to record-setting levels in the coming days. Carrollton is about halfway between Cincinnati's Northern Kentucky counties and metro Louisville. 'This is a significant threat that should be taken seriously,' the notice reads. 'If you fail to evacuate, there is no guarantee in that resources exist that will provide for your rescue. This is a high-impact event and should be taken as a life-threatening emergency.' In the Facebook video, Adams urged residents to take the warning seriously and to not try and 'ride this out.' 'It exceeds expectations, it exceeds any gauges or any data that they have in past history, ever,' Adams said. Adams told the Herald-Leader he was warned by the emergency management office 'there is no data on file to support what we might get.' 'We don't expect a wave or a wall, or something you can physically see happening, but it will be a rapid rise and is not expected to crest until Tuesday sometime,' Adams said.

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