About this picture: Anguilla Japonica
Anguilla japonica, is a species of eel found in Japan, Korea, Vietnam the East China Sea and the northern Philippines.
Like the all the eels of its family, it is catadromous, meaning it lives parts of its life in both freshwater and saltwater.
The specific spawning grounds have been recently discovered amongst seamounts to the west of the Mariana Islands.
Adult eels migrate thousands of miles from freshwater rivers in East Asia to this location.
The larvae, called leptocephali, hatch in the open sea and are carried by the Kuroshio Current to areas close to land where they consume plankton.
After reaching adequate size, they enter the headwaters of rivers and travel upstream where they eventually reach adulthood.
They are known to sometimes leave water at night and crawl over land.
Its diet consists mainly of shrimp, insects and small fish.
The eels are eaten in Japan, where they are called unagi, and also have uses in Chinese medicine.
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