Japanese eel
Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel, 1846
Status not recordedbony fish
The japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) is a species in the family Anguillidae, order Anguilliformes.
No freely licensed photo yet
Quick facts about the japanese eel
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the japanese eel live?
Not recorded
Where has it been introduced?
The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the japanese eel as introduced in 4 countries.
Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).
Is the japanese eel endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the japanese eel classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderAnguilliformes
- familyAnguillidae
- genusAnguilla
- SpeciesAnguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel, 1846
Synonyms Anguilla angustidens, Anguilla breviceps, Anguilla manabei, Anguilla nigricans, Anguilla remifera, Anguilla sinensis, Muraena japonica, Muraena pekinensis
Other names and names in other languages (27)
- CasiliCebuano
- úhoř japonskýCzech
- Japanischer AalGerman
- anguila japonesaSpanish
- anguille du JaponFrench
- UnagiJapanese
- 뱀장어Korean
- japansk ålNorwegian Bokmål
- Japanse palingDutch
- węgorz japońskiPolish
- Enguia-japonesaPortuguese
- Японский речной угорьRussian
- Pla Lai YeepunThai
- IgatFilipino
- 土鰻Chinese
- Anguila NiponaSpanish
- ウナギJapanese
- ニホンウナギJapanese
- 日本鰻Chinese
- 日本鰻鱺Chinese
- 日本鳗鲡Chinese
- 正鰻Chinese
- 淡水鰻Chinese
- 白鰻Chinese
- 白鱔Chinese
- 鰻鱺Chinese
- Man YuChinese
Relatives of the japanese eel
Other species in the same genus Anguilla.

European eel
Anguilla anguilla
Boston eel
Anguilla rostrata
Marbled eel
Anguilla marmorata
Mottled eel
Anguilla bengalensis
Longfin eel
Anguilla dieffenbachii
Shortfin eel
Anguilla bicolor
CompareJapanese eel vs European eelJapanese eel vs Boston eelJapanese eel vs Marbled eelJapanese eel vs Mottled eel
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
Is the japanese eel an invasive species?
The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the japanese eel as introduced in 4 countries: Brazil, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.
What kind of animal is the japanese eel?
The japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) belongs to the family Anguillidae in the order Anguilliformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.
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CreatureData. (2026). Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-eel
“Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-eel.
@misc{japanese_eel_2026,
title = {Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-eel},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}