Latin Etymology: Anguilla ("Eel") anguilla ("eel")
Adult European Eel (Anguilla anguillai) being attacked by Great Cormorant at Seahouses, Northumbria - July 2009
Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: 3.6kg / Length: 60-80cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Despite the name, the common (also known as the European) eel is currently highly endangered - the world population has crashed by 80% in the last 40 years due to a number of factors. A spectacular migrant, it breeds off the coast of North America and then returns to European rivers for the rest of its life. This unfortunate individual was in a battle with this cormorant which despite a valiant struggle, it eventually lost. They have a fairly challenging migratory lifestyle, where they breed in the Sargasso Sea and then cross the Atlantic to live much of their lives in European Rivers before returning to the Sargasso Sea. They can be very long lived, with anecdotal reports in excess of 150 years.
Related Species:
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Anguillidae
Genus: Anguilla
SUBSPECIES: unknown
- Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - An increasingly scarce resident
- Seen at Seahouses
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List .RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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