NATURE . WILDLIFE

SECRETS OF THE EEL

52' (ENG, GER)

Though much of the natural world is already discovered and understood, a few great mysteries remain. Consider the eel: snakelike, slimy, and with a row of jagged teeth, yet aside from these fearsome qualities, we know little about its life.

The eels evolved more than 50 million years ago and gave rise to 15 separate species. We still don’t know where it goes, what it does, and how it dies. Hailed by poets as the 'Siren of the North Sea' and 'Love’s Arrow on Earth', this shadowy creature has fascinated researchers for centuries. James Prosek, artist, writer, and eminent naturalist, takes on the mystery of the eel himself, shedding light on the animal and the strange behaviour it inspires in those who seek to know it.

This documentary brings the dark world of the eel into focus. We embark on a journey that takes us all over the world, from New Zealand to the Sargasso Sea and into the estuaries along the East coast of the United States. Swimming in vast and deep oceans and with typhoons to disguise its trail, the eel continues to elude biologists as if 'Poseidon was trying to keep the eel’s secret'.