Some strange fish swim in The Natural State and the American Eel may be the weirdest.
American eel eggs greet the world thousands of feet deep in the Sargasso Sea between Bermuda and the Bahamas. When they hatch, larvae ride ocean currents toward North America and some spin out in the Gulf of Mexico. Female eels swim up coastal rivers and make their way to the Arkansas, White, Ouachita and Caddo rivers. These docile fish feed along river bottoms and sometimes are caught at night by anglers using live bait.
After 5 to 20 years, they’re triggered during fall to begin swimming back to the Sargasso Sea. Males, who live at the mouths of rivers along the gulf, follow the females to complete the only spawning cycle of their lives.
You can learn more about the American Eel at the Arkansas Wildlife You Tube channel.