What Do Eels Eat? Everything You Need to Know

There are over 800 recognized species of eels, ray-finned fish resembling snakes, belonging to the order Anguilliformes. Eels are found in both marine and freshwater habitats worldwide. Most eels share a similar, primarily carnivorous diet, as they are largely opportunistic predators that consume whatever small animals are available in their specific habitat. While the specific prey items change based on whether they live in fresh, brackish, or salt water, their general nutritional requirements are similar. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about what eels eat.

What Foods Do Eels Eat?

Eels eat fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. They are carnivorous predators that eat a diverse diet, including just about any marine creature that is smaller than they are. Eels are skilled hunters, but they are also cautious and tend to avoid creatures that could harm them.

The foods eels consume most frequently include:

• Sea urchins
• Crabs
• Shrimp
• Lobsters
• Frogs
• Krill
• Worms
• Clams
• Barnacles
• Woodlice
• Crayfish
• Plankton
• Mussels
• Squid
• Octopus
• Crickets
• Jellyfish
• Mosquitos
• Eels
• Various carrion in freshwater

Eels have varied diets that depend largely on their species and environment. Freshwater eels consume more insects, while marine eels feed on a diverse array of ocean creatures.

Baby eels, also called elvers, spend the first weeks of their lives consuming a variety of foods based on where they live. In freshwater, they will mostly consume insects and very small fish. However, at sea, they will be somewhat herbivorous, feeding upon plankton until they’re large enough to consume an adult diet.

Eels consume a wide variety of foods and are effective predators in any environment. The amount they eat often depends on their habitat. Pet freshwater eels are usually fed about once per day, but saltwater eels only get fed about 3-4 times per week.

In the wild, eels hunt as they need, and they are capable of going several weeks without eating if food is scarce.

How Do Eels Hunt?

Eels are cunning creatures that rely on their swift swimming and thin profile to sneak up on prey. Eels are nocturnal hunters, taking advantage of lower visibility. Eels have poor vision, but they make up for this lack with a powerful sense of smell.

Eels will hunt near the area where they live. Often, eels will dwell near the bottom of a body of water or in rocky outcroppings, waiting for prey. They will only attack smaller prey to avoid the risk of injury.

Eels will also cruise along reefs to find prey, using a mucous coating that allows them to slide through small gaps without getting scraped or cut. Eels do not always hunt alone. Specifically, moray eels have been observed hunting in groups, using their powerful bites to attack prey. Often, moray eels will wrap their bodies around their prey to trap them and then eat them whole.

Moray eels can also hunt cooperatively with other fish, such as groupers. In these rare instances, the moray eel chases prey out of tight spaces that the grouper cannot access, while the grouper can scare prey into the waiting jaws of the eel. This highly unusual hunting system is the subject of many studies.

What Predators Eat Eels?

Both freshwater and marine eels face a variety of predators. Their predators tend to be larger or more cunning sea creatures, as well as a few outliers.

Predators of freshwater and saltwater eels include:

• Herons
• Eels
• Raccoons
• Storks
• Eagles
• Osprey
• Sea snakes
• Barracuda
• Groupers
• Sharks
• Humans

Each of these creatures poses a threat to eels in the wild. Humans have historically been major predators of eels, using them as culinary ingredients, especially in East Asia. However, due to declining eel populations and conservation concerns, eel consumption has decreased in many regions, though it remains significant in countries like Japan.

Eel farming operations continue to exist and supply the culinary market, particularly in East Asia and some Western countries, but these farms are increasingly subject to scrutiny and regulation due to concerns about declining wild eel populations.

Are Eels Dangerous to People?

Eels will not typically attack creatures larger than themselves. They are considered timid creatures that prefer to escape rather than fight, but they can be quick to bite if they feel threatened, trapped, or if they mistake a human limb for food.

Stories have emerged of people having digits bitten off by moray eels while trying to feed them or getting an infected bite from them while swimming. Given the strength of some eels’ bites and a human’s instinct to pull away after being bitten, eel bites often cause significant damage to human soft tissue.