Fishing Calendar App Fishing Calendar App

European eel

Anguilla anguilla

European eel — Anguilla anguilla
  • Freshwater & Saltwater
  • Critically Endangered
Max length
150 cm
Classification
Class
Teleostei
Order
Anguilliformes
Family
Anguillidae
Genus
Anguilla
Distribution
  • Atlantic, Northeast
  • Europe - Inland waters
  • Mediterranean and Black Sea

About the european eel

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a species of eel. Their life history was a mystery for thousands of years, and mating in the wild has not yet been observed. The five stages of their development were originally thought to be different species. They are critically endangered due to hydroelectric dams, overfishing by fisheries on coasts for human consumption, and parasites.

Habitat

Eels tend to range 0–700 metres (0–2,297 ft) underwater. After spawning in the Sargasso Sea, they disperse northwards throughout the Atlantic Ocean, its coasts, and the rivers that empty into it. Feeding occurs mainly at night via scent, with prey consisting of worms, fish (including ones too big to eat without biting off chunks), mollusks such as slugs, crustaceans such as crayfish, and occasionally plankton, when available in large quantities. European eels are preyed upon by larger eels, herons, cormorants, and pike. Seagulls also prey on elvers. Eels usually find and compete for shelter by hiding in plants or in tube-shaped crevices in rocks. They also hide in muddy fields when inland.

Description from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

Where the european eel lives

Distribution data from GBIF (DOI: 10.15468/dl.8rzs8d).

Also known as

Where to catch european eel

Related species