The New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) is the largest freshwater eel species in the world and is found nowhere else on Earth. Its name comes from the physical length of the eel's dorsal (top) fin, which extends much further forward toward its head than its ventral (bottom) fin – whereas the shortfin eel (Anguilla australis), has top and bottom of roughly equal length. Females can grow up to 2 meters long and weigh up to 40 kg. They have one of the slowest growth rates of any studied eel (1–2 cm per year) and can live more than 100 years – the oldest recorded female reached 106.
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