1.2K views · 15 reactions | Did you know that eels are fish? They are in the Actinopterygii class which is a group of ray finned fish. Eels have a dorsal fin that runs along the middle of their back and they also have small fins called the pectoral fin near their gills. The juvenile eel in this video is searching for the perfect spot to burrow in the sand. Video Credit: Meaghan Huseman | Mississippi Museum of Natural Science | Facebook

Actinopterygii (AKA “ray-finned fish”) is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of all living vertebrate species. Most don’t look like these, though: this unidentified (so far!) species of fish belonging to the genus Gadomus have fabulous fins with a single elongated ray emanating outward. According to @NOAAOceanExploration, the order these fish belong to (Gadiformes) are “among the most diverse group of fishes inhabiting deep waters, and in some areas they are the dominant species in term