Paul Naylor turns his gaze to one of the UK ’ s most impressive marine predators
CRITTERCONFIDENTIAL
An inquisitive conger
Conger eel Conger conger
Paul Naylor turns his gaze to one of the UK ’ s most impressive marine predators
Big , easy to identify , full of character and even with the bonus of an unforgettable scientific name , I still find that a meeting with a conger eel gives a dive a certain ‘ buzz ’. So long as part of their elongated , snake-like body is visible , the only likely confusion is with the European eel ( Anguilla anguilla ). That
16 species , which does not reach the same hefty size as the conger , spends much of its life in fresh water but can occasionally be seen in coastal areas during its amazing life-cycle . It is now , sadly , classified as Critically Endangered and is a rare sight for divers . The European eel tends to be more greenish than the slate grey conger , and its
Large conger with parasitic copepods along its top lip ; there also appeared to be a parasite on its eye jutting lower jaw in contrast to the conger ’ s more equal jaws is distinctive if you see one peering out from a hiding place .
Congers have an intriguing life story of their own , living but not breeding in our shallow coastal waters . When they are anywhere between five and approximately 20 years old , they migrate to very deep water in the mid-Atlantic to meet up and spawn . In preparation for this once-ina-lifetime party , their bodies undergo dramatic changes . Their teeth fall out and their guts ( and other organs not now needed ) degenerate so they cannot feed , with resources converted into reproductive tissues that can then make up about a third of their weight . Not surprisingly , they are assumed to die after spawning just this once . The resulting larvae develop in the open sea until they eventually resemble miniature eels about 15cm long , and these youngsters migrate back into coastal waters where they find suitable homes , feed voraciously and grow quickly .
Thankfully , encounters with large congers at many of our UK dive sites are reasonably frequent events . They can be impressive experiences too , as a patient approach is often rewarded by the conger choosing to have a good look at the alien intruder