Bony fish · Clupeiformes · Engraulidae

European Anchovy

Engraulis encrasicolus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

When threatened it forms dense spherical bait balls, thousands of fish moving as one in a collective defence.

Weight

up to 49 g

Size

up to 20 cm

Lifespan

4 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

School

Gathers in coordinated schools, typical of fish.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Fun facts

It eats small planktonic crustaceans, copepods above all.
It lives in pelagic coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
It supports a heavily exploited and closely monitored fishery.

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (fish)
Habitat & environment: Pelagic coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov
Birth weight: Larva 2-2.5 mm long on hatching
Size at birth: 2-2.5 mm long at hatching
Sexual maturity: ~1 year
Gestation / incubation: ~1.5 days of egg incubation
Litter / clutch size: 110,000 to 350,000 eggs per female over a spawning season of 2.5 months