The European eel is a species of eel, a snake-like, catadromous fish. They are normally around 60–80 cm (2.0–2.6 ft) and rarely reach more than 1 m, but can reach a length of up to 1.5 m in exceptional cases.
Ophichthidae is a family of fish in the order Anguilliformes, commonly known as the snake eels. The term "Ophichthidae" comes from Greek ophis ("serpent") and ichthys ("fish"). Snake eels are also burrowing eels, they are named for their physical appearance, they have long, cylindrical, snake-like bodies. This family is found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate waters. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, from coastal shallows and even rivers, to depths below 800 m (2,600 ft). Most species are bottom dwellers, hiding in mud or sand to capture their prey of crustaceans and small fish, but some are pelagic.
The common dab is an edible flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish native to shallow seas around Northern Europe, in particular the North Sea, where it lives on sandy bottoms down to depths of about 100 metres (330 ft). It can reach 40 centimetres (16 in) in length and can weigh up to 1 kilogram (2.2 lb), though most specimens grow no longer than 20 centimetres (7.9 in).
The serpent eel or sand snake-eel is an eel found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, western Mediterranean Sea, western Indian Ocean, western Pacific Ocean and the north-east and west coast of North Island in New Zealand. It is an elongated, slender fish with a length of up to 250 centimetres. It spends the day with its body immersed in the sediment, emerging into the open water at night.
The European conger is a species of conger of the family Congridae. It is the heaviest eel in the world and native to the northeast Atlantic, including the Mediterranean Sea.
The great sand eel is the greater species of sand eel. The maximum size is 35 centimetres (14 in).
The fangtooth moray is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae found in warmer parts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea, Canary Islands, Madeira and various other islands.
The Mediterranean moray is a fish of the moray eel family. It has a long eel-like body and is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Its bite can be dangerous to humans.
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes, which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage, and most are predators.
The European pilchard is a species of ray-finned fish in the monotypic genus Sardina. The young of the species are among the many fish that are sometimes called sardines. This common species is found in the northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea at depths of 10–100 m (33–328 ft). It reaches up to 27.5 cm (10.8 in) in length and mostly feeds on planktonic crustaceans. This schooling species is a batch spawner where each female lays 50,000–60,000 eggs.
Apterichtus is a genus of fish in the family Ophichthidae. Many of its species are called finless eels.
Apterichtus anguiformis, the slender finless eel, is a species of snake eel. It was described by Wilhelm Peters in 1877. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the western Mediterranean Sea, Morocco, and Cape Verde. It dwells at a depth range of 10 to 40 metres and inhabits burrows formed in sand and mud sediments on the continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 49.3 centimetres (19.4 in).
Apterichtus ansp, the Academy eel, is a species of snake eel native to the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina, United States through the Bahamas to Brazil. It is known to dwell down to a maximum depth of 200 metres (660 ft), and leads a benthic lifestyle, inhabiting burrows in the sand in surf areas. This species can reach a length of 54 centimetres (21 in) TL.
Apterichtus equatorialis, the finless eel or equatorial eel, is a species of snake eel native to the eastern Pacific Ocean, from the Gulf of California to Panama and around the Galapagos Islands. This species can be found at depths of from 106 to 125 metres inhabiting areas with bottoms of sand or mud. This species can reach a length of 27 centimetres (11 in) TL.
Apterichtus flavicaudus, variously known as the orange snake eel, sharpnose sand eel or sharpnose snake eel, is a species of snake eel native to the Indian Ocean from the Seychelles to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. It can be found at depths of from 7 to 293 metres being particularly common in shallow coastal waters with sandy substrates in near vicinity to reefs. This species can reach a length of 80 centimetres (31 in) TL.
Apterichtus gracilis is a species of snake eel native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of western Africa. It is known to occur on the continental shelf in mud or sand substrates in which it makes its burrows. It has been recorded at a depth of 75 metres (246 ft). This species can reach a length of at least 31.9 centimetres (12.6 in) TL.
Apterichtus kendalli, the Western Atlantic finless eel or finless eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1891. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, including North Carolina, USA; the western Bahamas, Venezuela, and St. Helena Island. It dwells at a depth range of 3 to 400 metres, and forms burrows in sandy sediments on the continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 60 centimetres (24 in).
The sharpsnout snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Max Carl Wilhelm Weber in 1913. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Western Pacific, including East Africa, the Marshall Islands, and the Hawaiian Islands. It dwells at a depth range of 10 to 25 metres, and lives in congregations in confined regions of sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 40 centimetres (16 in).
Apterichtus monodi is a species of snake eel native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean where it is found along the African coast from Senegal to Nigeria. It can be found at depths of from 80 to 150 metres where it digs burrows into sandy or muddy substrates of the continental shelf. This species can reach a length of 49.5 centimetres (19.5 in) TL.
Apterichtus moseri is a species of snake eel native to the northwestern Pacific Ocean where it is only known from Suruga Bay and the Kumano-nada Sea in Japan. It occurs at depths of from 111 to 114 metres. This species has been recorded as reaching 5 centimetres (2.0 in) TL for a female specimen.
