Scientific name : Anguilla anguilla
Family : Anguillidae (freshwater eels, 19 species)
Size : Up to 130 cm
Distribution : North Atlantic Ocean and fresh waters throughout Europe
Biology : The European eel is an exceptional migratory fish. The larvae are born in the Sargasso Sea, at the other end of the Atlantic Ocean. Then, they travel up the rivers of Europe, where they grow up before returning to the sea for reproduction purposes. There is still a lack of knowledge about its life cycle. Eels are seriously threatened by the domestication of rivers and pollution. 98% of the eel population has disappeared in 50 years.
IUCN status : Critically endangered
