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eniteris t1_iseinhz wrote

This is pretty big for the European Eel, since it has a long history of confusing humans on how it lives.

Europeans never saw any juvenile eels, or eels spawning, or eel eggs, so they thought they came from earthworms, or spontaneously generated. Eventually it was discovered that eel larvae in the oceans were not a separate species, and in fact transitioned from larva to "glass eels", then to "yellow eels", and finally "silver eels" when they return to the ocean from the continent.

Silver eels also don't have a digestive system and migrate on stored energy alone.

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SuspiciousPebble t1_isekffc wrote

Huh, that's wild. But makes sense, there's quite a few creatures that turned out to be the same, simply at different life-cycle stages or appearing outwardly different depending on location.

Unrelated note - I can never get over this guy on tiktok who built an eel enclosure in his basement. Literally the whole basement floor is flooded with only some stepping stones and underwater lighting, and he just hangs out down there hand feeding his eels haha.

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eniteris t1_iseldei wrote

Barnacle geese were thought to come from barnacles because they breed in the Arctic in the summer, so nobody saw any eggs.

Also so they could be considered fish and eaten on Fridays.

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CrowbarCrossing t1_isfb5sj wrote

"Imagine these birds came from crustaceans - they'd count as fish wouldn't ey?"

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dutchwonder t1_ish50v3 wrote

It helps when your religion doesn't actually have any serious dietary restrictions.

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rich1051414 t1_ishatrv wrote

I always wondered why they didn't classify ducks as fish, but if they had barnacle geese already, why push it?

And before you say "ducks aren't fish, that's ridiculous", they classified beavers as fish...

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BullAlligator t1_isgybso wrote

I always confuse the barnacle goose with the goose barnacle.

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Ferengi_Earwax t1_isfjo0r wrote

Are these the same eels you find in British River systems and wetlands? Or are those freshwater eels and these guys just live in the tidal saltwater marshes?

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eniteris t1_isflmvd wrote

There's another species of eel in Britain, but yes, jellied eels are mostly made from silver eels, and they're critically endangered.

The European Eel/glass eel/yellow eel/silver eel migrates between fresh and saltwater.

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Ferengi_Earwax t1_isfm66j wrote

Thanks. That's unfortunate they are endangered. I remember time team had some eel fisherman go about and demonstrate how they use to catch them. I think I remember them saying how people of the fens had a specific culture and that after most of the fens were drained, their culture and eel fishing mostly died out. There is also the story of king charles and the feather. Supposedly people of the fens had a tradition where if you presented a fen man a goose feather( I think) they would guide you, feed you, and ferry you to safety without questions.

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Ferengi_Earwax t1_isfm6xc wrote

Thanks. That's unfortunate they are endangered. I remember time team had some eel fisherman go about and demonstrate how they use to catch them. I think I remember them saying how people of the fens had a specific culture and that after most of the fens were drained, their culture and eel fishing mostly died out. There is also the story of king charles and the feather. Supposedly people of the fens had a tradition where if you presented a fen man a split goose feather( I think) they would guide you, feed you, and ferry you to safety without questions. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Split-Goosefeather/

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stayshiny t1_isfl7ys wrote

Yes, you will find European Eels in British rivers, they migrate from there to the Sargasso Sea, though not all Eels found in those rivers will be the same species that does this.

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Ferengi_Earwax t1_isfleaz wrote

Thanks, very interesting. I remember hearing about the strange beliefs people had about eels in manuscripts from the middle ages. They ate alot of eels.

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stayshiny t1_isfmvh6 wrote

There's a lot of great history in literature and Eels - they inspired a lot of monster stories and still do now!

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Ferengi_Earwax t1_isfn1a3 wrote

They sure do and you can still see why! Lampreys look terrifying.

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