Many marine creatures, like a “school” of fish or a “shiver” of sharks, have well-known collective nouns. Eels also possess several distinct collective nouns to describe them when they gather. The specific terminology used often depends on the type of eel, its location, or its behavior.
The Collective Nouns for Eels
The most common collective noun used to describe a group of eels is a “swarm,” which generally applies to a large gathering or moving mass of these serpentine fish. Eels have a variety of traditional collective nouns that are also considered correct.
Another frequently used term is a “bed” of eels, which refers to eels gathered on the bottom of a body of water, such as a riverbed or the seafloor. Other accepted collective nouns include a “bind,” an “array,” and a “fry.” While “fry” is often associated with the youngest life stage of fish, it is also listed as a general collective noun for eels.
Groupings Based on Life Stage
Terminology for eel groups becomes specialized when considering their different life stages. Eels undergo metamorphosis, beginning as larvae and transforming into transparent “glass eels.” As these young eels migrate up rivers and estuaries, they are referred to as “elvers.”
During the spring, elvers participate in a mass migration event called an “eel fare” or a “run,” where thousands of the small, transparent creatures move upstream. This spectacle, where they may even climb onto land or obstructions, is when the eels are most visibly grouped. The large aggregation of elvers migrating together is often described as a “school” or a “swarm” due to their coordinated movement and density.
Eels Solitary Nature
Despite the existence of multiple collective nouns, adult eels are predominantly solitary creatures. Most adult eels, particularly the American and European species, spend their time hiding and hunting alone in burrows, rocks, or mud during the day. Consequently, these collective nouns are rarely used to describe the day-to-day behavior of a mature eel.
The few times adult eels congregate in large numbers are during specific biological events, such as the massive spawning migration back to the Sargasso Sea. Some tropical species, like garden eels, are an exception, living in vast, visible colonies on the seafloor where they form a true social group. For the majority of species, however, the collective nouns describe temporary aggregations rather than a continuous social structure.