Great sand eel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great sand eel |
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Ammodytes lanceolatus Le Sauvage, 1824 |
The great sand eel (Hyperoplus lanceolatus) is a type of sand eel. It is one of the larger kinds, growing up to 35 centimetres (14 in) long.
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What Does the Great Sand Eel Look Like?
The great sand eel has a long body that is round in shape. It has a long, pointed head and a lower jaw that sticks out. Unlike some fish, its upper jaw cannot move forward to form a tube. Inside its mouth, at the front of its palate, it has a small tooth-like bump.
Its scales do not form a V-shape pattern. A special ridge of skin runs along its sides, reaching about a third of the way down its body. The fins on its back (dorsal fins) are long and low, with 52 to 61 rays. The fin on its belly (anal fin) is about half the size of the dorsal fin but taller. Its side fins (pectoral fins) are small, and it does not have pelvic fins.
The great sand eel is usually lime green on its back and upper sides. Its lower sides and belly are bright silver. It also has a black spot between its eyes and snout, which is about the same size as its eye.
How to Tell It Apart from Other Sand Eels
You can tell the great sand eel apart from the lesser sand eel because its long back fin starts behind its side fins.
Corbin's sand eel (Hyperoplus immaculatus) looks very similar. It also has an upper jaw that cannot move forward and is about the same size. However, Corbin's sand eel does not have the black spot on its snout. Instead, it has a black chin. Its back fin has 59 to 62 rays. Corbin's sand eel is usually darker in color and lives further offshore, mostly on the western side of the United Kingdom.
Life and Habits of the Great Sand Eel
Great sand eels are active fish. They are an important part of the ocean's food web.
Reproduction and Diet
Great sand eels lay their eggs between March and August. They eat tiny ocean creatures like plankton and young fish. They also enjoy many different kinds of crustaceans, which are like small shrimp or crabs.
Where Do Great Sand Eels Live?
The great sand eel lives in the eastern part of the North Atlantic Ocean. You can find them from Murmansk (around 70°N) and Spitzbergen (around 75°N) in the north, all the way south to Portugal (around 38°N). They also live near Iceland and in the Baltic Sea. They have not been found in the Mediterranean Sea or the Barents Sea.
They live from the shallow areas near the shore down to depths of over 100 metres (330 ft). They prefer to live on clean, sandy seabeds.
Why Great Sand Eels Are Important
Sand eels are a very important food source for many sea birds. For example, birds like kittiwakes, terns, fulmars, and shags rely on them.
Some studies have shown that a lot of fishing for sand eels in the North Sea has affected these bird populations. When there are fewer sand eels, it can be harder for these birds to successfully raise their young.
