American Eel - Anguilla rostrata
American Eel
Scientific Name: Anguilla rostrata
Fairfax County Native: Yes
Size: 40 inches
Diet: Fish, insects and invertebrates
Distribution sampling sites: Map
The American eel is a catadromous fish (fish that live in fresh water and breed in the ocean) that spends its adult life in the streams and rivers of the county and then travels to the Sargasso Sea to breed. Their distribution in the county is restricted by Great Falls on the Potomac River and by the reservoir dam on the Occoquan River.