Types of eels list

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© Andro/Fotolia Many people around the world depend on fishes or products made from fishes for their food and economic livelihood. More than 30, 000 different species ply Earth’s oceans and bodies of fresh water. The beauty of many fish species is highlighted in fish stores, aquariums, and in home collections. Some species, however, have darker, more terrifying aspects. A select few of these may attack human beings, while others might deliver a dose of poison when handled carelessly or not properly prepared for consumption. Some species are maligned due to their shocking appearance or by their ferocious reputation in folklore and myth; however, one species, though cute and tiny, threatens bathers in a very, shall we say, personal way.

10Puffer

The puffer, which is also called swellfish, or blowfish, is any member of a group of about 90 species of fishes of the family Tetraodontidae, noted for their ability when disturbed to inflate themselves so greatly with air and water that they become globular in form. Puffers are found in warm and temperate regions around the world, primarily in the sea but also, in some instances, in brackish or fresh water. They have tough, usually prickly skins and fused teeth that form a beaklike structure with a split in the center of each jaw. The largest puffers grow about 90 cm (3 feet) long but most are considerably smaller.
Many species are poisonous; a highly toxic substance, tetraodontoxin, is especially concentrated in the internal organs. Although this substance can cause death, puffers are sometimes used as food. In Japan, where the fishes are called fugu, they must be carefully cleaned and prepared by a specially trained chef.

9Red Lionfish

© katatonia/Fotolia Lionfishes (Pterois) make up any of several species of showy Indo-Pacific fishes of the scorpion fish family, Scorpaenidae (order Scorpaeniformes). They are noted for their venomous fin spines, which are capable of producing painful, though rarely fatal, puncture wounds. The fishes have enlarged pectoral fins and elongated dorsal fin spines, and each species bears a particular pattern of bold, zebralike stripes. When disturbed, the fish spread and display their fins and, if further pressed, will present and attack with the dorsal spines. One of the best-known species is the red lionfish (Pterois volitans), an impressive fish sometimes kept by fish fanciers. It is striped with red, brown, and white and grows to about 30 cm (12 inches) long. The red lionfish is native to South Pacific reef ecosystems. In the early 21st century the species became established in reef ecosystems along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean Sea. Its rapid rate of reproduction, combined with the absence of natural enemies in those regions, resulted in its decimation of local reef fishes and its designation as an invasive species. Wildlife managers suspect that lionfish were deliberately released by pet owners into the ocean along Florida’s Atlantic coast starting in the 1980s, but damage to pet stores caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 may have also allowed others to escape.

8Candiru

© Morphart Creation/COMEO—Shutterstock The candiru, (Vandellia cirrhosa), is a scaleless, parasitic catfish of the family Trichomycteridae found in the Amazon River region. It is translucent and eellike, and it grows to a length of about 2.5 cm (1 inch). The candiru feeds on blood and is commonly found in the gill cavities of other fishes. It sometimes also attacks humans and has been known to enter the urethras of bathers and swimming animals. Once in the passage, it erects the short spines on its gill covers and may thereby cause inflammation, hemorrhage, and even death to the victim.

7Great White Shark

Copyright Ron and Valerie Taylor/Ardea London The white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), which is also called great white shark or white pointer, may be the fish that needs no introduction, because it is one of the most powerful and potentially dangerous predatory sharks in the world. Starring as the villain of movies such as Jaws (1975), the white shark is much maligned and publicly feared; however, surprisingly little is understood of its life and behavior. According to the fossil record, the modern species has been around since roughly 18–12 million years ago, during the middle of the Miocene Epoch, but its ancestors may date back to at least the Eocene Epoch (about 56–34 million years ago).
In the areas where they are most common, white sharks are responsible for numerous unprovoked, and sometimes fatal, attacks on swimmers, divers, surfers, kayakers, and even small boats. A white shark tends to inflict a single bite on its human victim and then retreat. In many instances, however, the shark rarely returns for a second bite. If the victim suffers a moderate bite, he or she may have time to seek safety. In situations where a large bite occurs, however, serious tissue and organ damage may result in the death of the victim. A review of white shark attacks off the western United States showed that about 7 percent of attacks were fatal, but data from other localities, such as South Africa, show fatality rates of more than 20 percent. Fatality rates as high as 60 percent have been recorded from attacks in the waters off Australia.
Many researchers maintain that attacks on humans stem from the shark’s curiosity. In contrast, other authorities contend that these attacks may be the result of the shark mistaking humans for its natural prey, such as seals and sea lions. It is also possible that white sharks intend to attack humans where their normal prey may be scarce.

6Moray Eel

©Mark Dobson/Fotolia There are probably more than 80 species moray eels, and they occur in all tropical and subtropical seas, where they live in shallow water among reefs and rocks and hide in crevices. Moray eels differ from other eels in having small rounded gill openings and in generally lacking pectoral fins. Their skin is thick, smooth, and scaleless, while the mouth is wide and the jaws are equipped with strong, sharp teeth, which enable them to seize and hold their prey (chiefly other fishes) but also to inflict serious wounds on their enemies, including humans. They are apt to attack humans only when disturbed, but then they can be quite vicious.
Moray eels are usually vividly marked or colored. They generally do not exceed a length of about 1.5 meters (5 feet), but one species, Thyrsoidea macrurus of the Pacific, is known to grow about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) long. Morays are eaten in some areas of the world, but their flesh is sometimes toxic and can cause illness or death. One species of moray, Muraena helena, found in the Mediterranean, was a great delicacy of the ancient Romans and was cultivated by them in seaside ponds.