Bony fish · Anguilliformes · Anguillidae
Anguilla anguilla
At extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild.
It makes one of the most extraordinary breeding migrations in the animal kingdom, travelling thousands of kilometres from Europe's rivers to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die.
Weight
up to 4 kg
Size
61 cm – 1.5 m
Life expectancy
15 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Very hard
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; USGS Species Profile; Dimensions.com; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); ScienceDirect Topics; Fishipedia; TSU Invasives; PMC (spontaneously matured eel study)
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 14 of 93.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with European Eel — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The european eel is classified as critically endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 12 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about european eel.
Share an experience, a fun fact or a tip for seeing the european eel.
Be the first to comment.
The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.
