Lesser sand eel
Encyclopedia
The lesser sand eel or sand lance, Ammodytes tobianus, is a fish
, which may be up to 20 cm long. Its body has an elongated shape with a rounded cross section. The head is also elongated and pointed, and it contains a sharp prominent lower jaw
. The upper jaw overlaps, and can open forward to form a tube. The top of the fish's mouth lacks teeth. The scales
of the belly make a hevron pattern. Moreover, the pectoral fins are small and low set, though pelvic fins are lacking. Its caudal fin is bifurcated in shape. The skin color can be pictured as greenish yellow on the back, to yellow on the upper sides, and a mixture of a brilliant silver
on the lower sides and belly.
Breeding, can vary to which race they are native, and usually happens from February to April, or from September through into November. Adult forms become mature in 1 to 2 years (8cm+), and will live 7 years or more. It habitates from mid-tide level below to around 30m in inshore waters, that have clean and sandy bottoms. It is commonly found swimming in huge shoals that rapidly burrows in sand if alarmed.
It eats on planktonic species of fish, crustacean
s, and other smaller invertebrates. In addition, it is found all throughout the coasts of the British Isles
.
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, which may be up to 20 cm long. Its body has an elongated shape with a rounded cross section. The head is also elongated and pointed, and it contains a sharp prominent lower jaw
Jaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
. The upper jaw overlaps, and can open forward to form a tube. The top of the fish's mouth lacks teeth. The scales
Scale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
of the belly make a hevron pattern. Moreover, the pectoral fins are small and low set, though pelvic fins are lacking. Its caudal fin is bifurcated in shape. The skin color can be pictured as greenish yellow on the back, to yellow on the upper sides, and a mixture of a brilliant silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
on the lower sides and belly.
Breeding, can vary to which race they are native, and usually happens from February to April, or from September through into November. Adult forms become mature in 1 to 2 years (8cm+), and will live 7 years or more. It habitates from mid-tide level below to around 30m in inshore waters, that have clean and sandy bottoms. It is commonly found swimming in huge shoals that rapidly burrows in sand if alarmed.
It eats on planktonic species of fish, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, and other smaller invertebrates. In addition, it is found all throughout the coasts of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
.