DANGER: AVOID FEEDING

Size range: Max length : 300 cm T(FishBase)

Common size: Maturity: Lm 200.0 ; common length : 100.0 cm TL (male) ; common length :150 cm TL (female) (FishBase) | 150-200 cm (Fishes of Europe and the Mediterranean)

Depth range: 0-500 m and 305-1171 m in the eastern Ionian Sea (Fishbase) | 5-100 m (0-500m) (Fishes of Europe and the Mediterranean)

Habitat:

  • Hard - rocky
  • Soft - sand, mud

Water column position:

  • Demersal

Schooling characteristics:

  • Solitary

Colors & patterns: Focus on unique characteristics which distinguish the species from others, specify differences between:

  • Upper Jaw slightly prominent
  • Eyes realtively small, inter - orbital space broad and flat
  • Dorsal fin origin above the end of pectoral fins
  • Overall colour greyish to blackish , belly paler
  • White spots along lateral lines
  • Dorsal and anal fins edged black
  • Young - proportionally bigger eyes. typically a pale grey colour with very distinctive (Fishes of Europe and the mediterranean)

Behavior:

  1. Whether the species is:
  • Cryptic - caves/crevices/wrecks. may also be found under stones at low tide (Fishes of Europe and the Mediterranean)
  • can occur more in the open on deep soft bottoms

2. Activity:

  • Nocturnal

3. Approach:

  • Shy - will retreat to its shelter when disturbed. You must be patient and wait. It is also curious and might show the tip of its snout to look at any interesting object. (Fishes of Europe and the Mediterranean)
  • Danger: when regularly fed, larger conger eels become excessively familiar, sometimes aggressive, and may bite. The wound is rarely very serious but it may cause the diver to panic and lead to diving accidents (Fishes of Europe and the Mediterranean).

4. Unique behavior:

  • breeding season changes : as breeding season approaches, adults migrate to offshore spawning areas and undergo dramatic changes: organs reduce, skeleton decreases in mass, all the energy is concentrated in the reproductive organs and their body becomes pudgy. This behavior has only been obsereved in aquariums (Fishes of Europe and the Mediterranean)
  • abundant at times with high sediment accumulation

5. Feeding characteristic - piscivore, crustaceavore, cephalopods

Native/Exotic:


EM notes: see depth

© Shevy Rothman

© Shevy Rothman

© Shahar Malamud

© Shahar Malamud