The mucus of eels has the ability to precipitate silt particles. It allows the gills to function normally in turbidities that would suffocate most fish species. Eels can also breathe through their skin when out of water. The smooth elongated bodies of eels, allows them to slide into the mud and through masses of cover where they can shelter and ambush passing food. The food eaten by eels has been studied by analysing the gut content of a large number of them.
Eels are opportunistic feeders and consume a wide range of food items.
The smallest of both species eat amphipods, insect larvae and worms. They take this food from the substrate. Eels' stomachs are extensile, so they can take maximum advantage of events like floods when they forage widely over flooded pastures gorging on earthworms. The large long-fin eels' sense of smell is exceptional. Their small grasping teeth grip items of food firmly in their jaws and the eel commences to spin, tearing pieces of food off.