Relocated non-migratory eels showed a tendency to home to their original capture site. Reasons for their apparent success lie with their flexible life history. A remarkable adaptation is eel slime. 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.