European Eel
Anguilla anguilla
Also known as: Eel, Common Eel, Broad-Nosed Eel, Sharp-Nosed Eel, Snig Eel
About This Species
Spends most of its life hidden in fresh or brackish water, rivers, canals, and estuaries, emerging mainly at night to forage, so daytime sightings usually come from watching still, clear water near cover such as submerged structure or vegetation. Look for silvery, migratory individuals moving downstream toward the sea in autumn, particularly after heavy rain, and browner resident individuals in slower water the rest of the year. Numbers have collapsed by over 90 percent since the 1980s, so encounters anywhere across its European and North African range are now uncommon.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Given its critically endangered status, avoid handling, disturbing, or attempting to catch individuals, and report sightings to a local records scheme rather than intervening.
- It is subject to strict protection and trade controls under EU regulation and CITES Appendix II across much of its range, and rules on fishing, river obstructions and habitat protection vary significantly by country, so check local regulations rather than assuming a single rule applies.
- If seen at a barrier or fish pass, keep well back and do not attempt to move or assist individuals, since well-meaning interference can cause more harm than good.
Seasonal Activity
822,411 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- NaN
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Anguillidae
Photo
(c) Frédéric ANDRE, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Frédéric ANDRE
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.