Eel

This article is about the specific fish. For other uses, see Eel (disambiguation).

Eel
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Anguilla japonica (Japanese eel) Family: Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  ウナギ  장어  anguilla  Aal  N/A  anguille  anguila  Paling  鰻魚  anguille  anguila  Угорь

The eel is a freshwater fish in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Doubutsu no Mori and appearing in all subsequent games except Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It appears as a long and thin shadow that can be found in rivers from 4 PM to 9 AM during the summer.

Catch details

In the first-generation games

#17

"I caught an eel! I've been told they're rEELy tough to catch! (I'm sorry...)"

DnM / iQue

DnM+

AC

DnMe+

Time of year	Jun – Sep
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Location	River
Shadow size	Medium
Selling price	2,000 Bells
Feng shui	None
Furniture size

In Wild World

#16

"I caught an eel! Slippery little sucker!"

Description	They are actually born in the ocean. They have scales that are too small to be seen.
Time of year	Jun – Sep
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	Jun – Aug
Location	River
Shadow size	Long
Fish size	100 cm
Selling price	2,000 Bells
Furniture size

In City Folk

#16

"I caught an eel! I'm just eel-lated!"

Description	Since they can breathe through their skin as long as it's wet, these can live on land.
Time of year	Jun – Aug
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	N/A
Location	River
Shadow size	Long
Fish size	About 40 in.
Selling price	2,000 Bells
Furniture size

In New Leaf

#18

"I caught an eel! Things just got REAL!"

Time of year	Jun – Sep 15
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	Jun – Aug: 9 PM – 4 AM
Location	River
Shadow size	Long
Fish size	100cm
Selling price	2,000 Bells
Furniture size

In Pocket Camp

#35

Availability (Pocket Camp Complete)	Fall
Former availability (Pocket Camp)	Not currently available 2019-08-13 – 2019-08-19 (Fishing Tourney: Fireworks) 2020-06-29 – 2020-09-09 2021-06-29 – 2021-08-29 2022-06-23 – 2022-09-19 2023-09-15 – 2023-12-26 2024-06-30 – 2024-09-04
Location	Lost Lure Creek
Shadow size	Long
Size	52.2 cm – 137.8 cm
Rarity	★★
Selling price	1,200 Bells
Version added	Unknown
Villager gift data	Tier: 3 (Uncommon+) Rewards:  1,500 Bells Fortune cookie (20%) +3 Friendship points

Donating to the museum

In Animal Crossing

"This is one of those fish that seem to mysteriously disappear from time to time. Drives fishermen batty, wot!"

In Wild World

"Grilled eel is supposedly quite succulent, but I have a bit of advice... Do NOT bring live eels to a cookout. Causes a bit of a scene, don't you know."

The eel can be found swimming close to the bottom and occasionally hiding behind the rocks in the river aquarium in the first fish room.

In City Folk

"Eels are often thought of as river dwellers... but they actually go out to sea to lay their eggs, eh wot? If you can look past their slimy nature, you might notice they have round, expressive little eyes!"

The eel can be found in the right tank in the museum as a brown colored line moving across the bottom.

In New Leaf

"Eels are born in the ocean but swim upstream through rivers when they become adults. They do, however, eventually swim back to the ocean when it is time to lay eggs. Their blood can be toxic, which is why you've never heard of eel sashimi. It's just too dangerous. Cooked eel, however, is edible and has no poisonous effects to speak of, making it a popular dish. For a long time, the egg-laying locations and habits of eels were largely a mystery. However, they are gradually being revealed through research, making eels a very hot topic of study."

Fishing Tourney

In City Folk

"Actually, I like barbecuing eel and asking guests, "Burger, hot dog, or water snake?" Nyuuuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!"

In New Leaf

"Now an eel—you're gonna wanna grill that guy, maybe with a bit of lemon and pepper for added flavor. But raw does just as well in a pinch! I mean, how often do you find yourself at a grill? YUM!"

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

• 

  Animal Crossing

• 

  Animal Crossing: Wild World

• 

  Animal Crossing: City Folk

• 

  Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Trivia

• The eel appeared in a toy set along with Purrl, a cat villager, a Koi and a fish tank.

The Purrl figurine set that includes an Eel figurine

Real-world information

The American eel, Anguilla rostrata is a fish that spawns in salt water. After hatching, the baby eels make their way to North America, on the east coast. The eels, if hungry enough, may eat their own family to survive the trip to America. They prefer to hunt at night, which is referenced by the time it appears at in Animal Crossing.

Names in other languages

	ウナギ Unagi	Eel
	장어 jang-eo	Eel
	鳗鱼 Mányú	Eel
	鰻魚 maan6jyu4	Eel
	Угорь Ugor'	Eel
	Paling	Eel
	Aal	Eel
	Anguila	Eel
	Anguille	Eel
	Anguilla	Eel

Notes

Pocket Camp fish

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