An American Eel made headlines this week after it was caught in the Chicago River, raising both eyebrows and questions as to how the aquatic animal made its way into the Windy City’s waters.
Dr. Austin Happel, a research biologist at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, explained that it’s possible the eel swam all the way from the Atlantic Ocean.
“All American eels spawn in the Atlantic Ocean, then the larvae find their way into freshwater rivers in North and Central America where the eels live for 20-30 years before returning to the ocean to spawn,” Happel said in a statement. “We don’t know for certain how this eel ended up in the Chicago River, but it is a possibility that the eel swam from the Atlantic Ocean up the Mississippi River all the way to our city.”
The eel also could have been released by humans into the river, Happel said.
River North angler Ben Gorahschenko told NBC Chicago that he first thought the eel was a snake when he caught it on the night of May 4.
The internet proved his hunch wrong, and he quickly realized he had actually caught an American Eel.
Gorahschenko said he tossed the eel back into the water after taking a few pictures to commemorate the catch.
