| Frederick The Monk
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| 153515. Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:55 pm |
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Well they certainly occur in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and so ancients could have gained access to them. I think the family in question were probably Malapteruridae, the electric catfish of the Nile however, which were misidentified as a member of the Torpedinidae by Forsskål in 1775.
s.
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/FamilySummary.cfm?ID=143 |
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| Flash
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| 153530. Sun Mar 04, 2007 3:30 pm |
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| Oh, of course - Forsskål's Fuck-up as we used to call it. What was I thinking? |
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| Jenny
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| 153564. Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:16 pm |
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| Flash wrote: |
Apparently there's an urban myth to the effect that a wallet made out of electric eelskin will de-magnetise your credit cards. Evidently this is untrue, not least because electric eelskin wallets are made from hagfish, not electric eels.
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There was an episode of Mythbusters devoted to this that duly busted the myth. |
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| Frederick The Monk
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| 153583. Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:19 pm |
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| Flash wrote: | | Oh, of course - Forsskål's Fuck-up as we used to call it. What was I thinking? |
What were you thinking of? |
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| Molly Cule
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| 156473. Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:20 am |
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Billingsgate fish market originally sold corn, coal, iron, wine, salt, pottery and all sorts as well as fish. In 1699 an Act of Parliament declared it a 'free and open market for all sorts of fish whatsoever' except for eels. Eels could only be sold by Dutch fishermen moored in the Thames, this was their privilege for helping to feed the people of London during the Great Fire.
s the london companion |
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| Gray
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| 156486. Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:45 am |
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American and European eels don't come from America or Europe - they come from the Sargasso Sea, where all eel mating is done, apparently.
| Quote: | Now back in the 18th- and 19th-centuries, eel-fanciers were puzzled by a great riddle - why were no baby freshwater eels ever found in Europe or America?
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Some freshwater eels (such as the European Eel and the American Eel) will migrate to the Sargasso when they're about 10 years old. Not only will they swim down rivers and creeks, they will even slither overland across moist dew-laden grass, in their need to reach the Sargasso Sea. |
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s125857.htm |
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| Flash
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| 156602. Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:28 pm |
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They may not come from there, but they do go to America and Europe respectively, don't they?
Nice thing about the Dutch, Molly, BTW. |
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| Gray
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| 160981. Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:33 am |
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I was independently reminded of this terrific fact about torpedoes (and mobile phones) last night, as enlarged upon by Jenny, here:
post 29613
Not just a pretty face:
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| Molly Cule
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| 160998. Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:30 am |
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despite the efforts of skilled geneticists eels have never been bred in captivity. In Japan eels have been farmed since the late 19th C and eel farming is extensive in the far East and in some European countries but all depend on eels from outside to replenish their stocks.
eels used to be popular to eat in England, Mrs Beeton had recipies for jellied eels, eel soup, boiled eel, stewed eel and fried eel. Whilst Delia Smith says nothing other than 'smoked eel are on a par with smoked salmon, in my opinion'.
The domestic market in England is kept alive by eel and pie shops in east london and on the portobello road, jellied eel stalls in markets and smoked eel.
has anyone ever eaten eel pie? Sounds revolting, but it might not be.... |
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| Molly Cule
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| 160999. Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:32 am |
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| In traditional Italian households capitone arrostito, roasted eel, is eaten on Christmas Eve. |
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| eggshaped
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| 161002. Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:37 am |
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Moray eels and grouper fish are the only species (except humans) which co-operate while hunting.
| Quote: | Groupers often visited giant morays resting in their crevices and rapidly shook their heads an inch or so from the eels to recruit them in a joint hunt.
If the moray emerged, the grouper guided the eel to a crevice where prey was hiding. Groupers sometimes even performed a headstand and shook its head over a prey hiding place to attract moray eels to the site. At times the moray ate the fish it rooted out, while at other times the grouper did.
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link |
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| MatC
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| 161017. Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:56 am |
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| What about chimps? |
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| Flash
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| 161029. Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:10 am |
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| I think he's talking about one species co-operating with another, Moll, like humans and dogs. So your quesiton needs to be "what about chimps and (insert other species here)". |
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| MatC
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| 161030. Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:11 am |
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| Ah, yes, gotcha. |
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| MatC
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| 161032. Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:12 am |
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| And I have told you not to call me Moll when there's people around. |
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