The European Conger Eel (Conger conger) is a medium-sized marine (saltwater) fish in the Congridae family of conger eels. It is an anguilliform.
The European Conger Eel has a cylindrical, long, thin, grey to black body with a white underbelly. It has a row of small, white spots along the lateral line. It has a smooth body – it does not have scales (it is scaleless). There are gill openings on its side. Its head is conical, with a down-turned mouth and sharp, conical teeth. Its snout (nose) is rounded and prominent. It has nostrils.
It grows to about 150 centimetres (57 inches) long. The female is larger than the male. It is the heaviest eel in the world, weighing about 72 kilograms (159 lbs).
The European Conger Eel is native to the north-east Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
It prefers to hide in rock crevices, holes, or pits. It is nocturnal, and comes out of its cave or hiding place at night to feed.
It feeds on plankton.
The female European Conger Eel lays several million eggs. Both the male and the female die after spawning. The eggs hatch into larval eels and swim to shallow waters. It stays in shallow waters until it is mature, then swims to deeper waters.
Location of photographs: Aquarium de Paris-Cinéaqua, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM