European Conger (Conger conger) – Profile, Description

European conger
(Last Updated On: April 13, 2021)

The European conger, scientific name Conger conger is a species of conger of the family Congridae. It’s the largest eel on the planet and native to the northeast Atlantic, together with the Mediterranean Sea.

European Conger Description and habits

European conger has a mean grownup size of 1.5 m (four ft 11 in), a most identified size of around 6 m (19 ft eight in), and most weight of roughly 110 kg (240 lb), making them the most important eels on the planet by weight.

European conger is often rivaled or marginally exceeded in size by the most important species of moray eel however these are usually slenderer and thus weigh lower than the bigger congers.

Common specimens of the European conger caught will weigh solely 2.5 to 25 kg (5.5 to 55.1 lb). Females, with a mean size at sexual maturity of two m (6 ft 7 in), are a lot bigger than males, with a mean size at sexual maturity of 1.2 m (Three ft 11 in).

The boy of the European conger could be very lengthy, anguilliform, without scales. The color is normally gray, however, it will also be blackish.

The stomach of the European conger is white. A row of small white spots is aligned alongside the lateral line. The pinnacle is nearly conical and barely depressed.

The snout of the European conger is rounded and outstanding, with lateral olfactory holes. The big gill openings are within the lateral place.

The conical enamel of the European conger is organized in rows on the jaws. The dorsal and anal fins are confluent with caudal fin. Pectoral fins are current, whereas ventral fins are absent.

European conger eels have habits much like moray eels. They normally reside amongst rocks in holes, or “eel pits”, generally in a single gap along with moray eels.

European conger

European conger arrives out from its hole in the evening to hunt. These nocturnal predators primarily feed on fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans, though they’re thought to scavenge on useless and rotting fish, in addition, to actively hunt reside fish.

European conger might be aggressive to people, and enormous specimens can pose a hazard to divers.

European conger Distribution

This species might be discovered within the jap Atlantic from Norway and Iceland to Senegal, and likewise within the Mediterranean and the Black Sea at 0–500 m of depth, though they might attain depths of 3600 m throughout their migrations.

It’s generally seen in very shallow water by the shore, however, it also can go right down to 1,170 m (3,840 ft). It’s normally current on the tough, rocky, damaged floor, near the coast when younger, transferring to deeper waters when grownup.

Migration

When conger eels are between 5 and 15 years old, bodies endure a metamorphosis, with the reproductive organs of each woman and men growing in measurement and the skeleton decreasing in mass, and the enamel falling out.

Feminine conger eels seem to extend in weight and measurement greater than the males.

European conger eels then make migrations to spawning areas within the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, “though the existence of 1 or a number of spawning grounds for the species stays unsure”.

The feminine conger eels produce a number of million eggs. As soon as hatched, the larval conger eels start to swim again to shallower waters, the place they reside till they attain maturity. They then migrate to repeat the cycle.

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