CreatureData

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.

  1. Brazil
  2. Cambodia
  3. Thailand
  4. Vietnam

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?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderAnguilliformes
  5. familyAnguillidae
  6. genusAnguilla
  7. 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

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the japanese eel

Other species in the same genus Anguilla.

CR, Critically Endangered
European eel (Anguilla anguilla)

European eel

Anguilla anguilla

Anguillidae

Boston eel

Anguilla rostrata

AnguillidaeNo free photo yet

Marbled eel

Anguilla marmorata

AnguillidaeNo free photo yet

Mottled eel

Anguilla bengalensis

AnguillidaeNo free photo yet

Longfin eel

Anguilla dieffenbachii

AnguillidaeNo free photo yet

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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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-eel

MLA

“Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-eel.

BibTeX
@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}
}