Common eel  (Anguilla anguilla)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Range

Found in the rivers of the North Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas; it also occurs along European coasts from the Black Sea to the White Sea in Russia. Spawning takes place in the Sargasso Sea in the western Atlantic (3).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Habitat

Part of the common eel’s life cycle is spent in the sea, and part in freshwater rivers. It is often common on the shore (2).

left