Head to head
Cutthroat Eel vs Eel
The cutthroat eel is itself a true eel, so this comparison sets one distinctive deep-sea family against the much larger order it belongs to.
| Cutthroat Eel | Eel | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Synaphobranchidae | Anguilliformes |
| Classification level | A family within the eel order | The broader order containing around 1,000 species |
| Gill openings | Fused into a single throat slit | Vary by family, not universally fused |
| Depth range | Continental slopes to abyssal trenches | Shallow reefs to the deep sea, plus rivers for some |
| Life cycle | Not documented with a spawning migration in comparable depth | Leptocephalus larva; some make a single one-way spawning migration |
| Notable trait | A keen sense of smell for locating carrion | The European eel is Critically Endangered |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated as an order |
| Habitat | Ocean | Ocean, wetlands |
Cutthroat Eel vs Eel: common questions
Is the cutthroat eel part of the broader eel order?
Yes, the cutthroat eel is a specific family within Anguilliformes, the broader order of true eels that includes roughly a thousand species such as freshwater eels, morays, and congers.
Which one includes species that migrate to spawn in a single one-way trip?
The freshwater eels within the broader eel order make this famous one-way migration to the Sargasso Sea, a trait not specifically documented for the cutthroat eel family, which remains largely in deep ocean habitat.
What makes the cutthroat eel's gills unusual even among eels?
The cutthroat eel has its two gill openings fused into a single slit across the underside of the throat, a distinctive feature not shared universally across the wider eel order, which shows considerable variation in gill structure between families.