Species · GBIF taxon 5212973
European Eel
Anguilla anguillaAlso known as Common Eel, Silver Eel, Yellow Eel, Glass Eel
European eels undertake an extraordinary 6,000-kilometer migration from European rivers to spawn in the Sargasso Sea, a journey from which adults never return. They morph through five distinct life stages, transforming from leaf-like marine larvae into transparent glass eels, pigmented elvers, yellow river residents, and finally metallic silver eels. Their survival relies on a complex network of healthy marine, estuarine, and freshwater habitats across two continents.
CatadromousMigratoryNocturnal
Licensed referenceBernard Dupont / CC BY-SA 2.0 · CC BY-SA 2.0
- diet
- Carnivorous, feeding on aquatic insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish
- family
- Anguillidae
- threats
- Hydroelectric dams, overfishing, water pollution, and swimbladder parasites
- life Span
- Typically 15 to 30 years in the wild, but can exceed 80 years in captivity
CR
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
European eels are critically endangered due to migration barriers like dams, illegal poaching of glass eels, and water pollution.
Never harvest wild eels, and advocate for fish-passage channels around local dams and weirs.- Night Watching: Look for yellow eels hunting along riverbanks after dusk using a red-filtered flashlight.
- Report Sightings: Document encounters with local conservation groups to help map migration barriers.
- Avoid Handling: Keep handling to a minimum to protect their delicate, protective mucus layer.