Head to head
Lesser Sand Eel vs Herring
Lesser Sand Eel
VS Herring
The lesser sand eel and the herring are two silvery shoaling fish that feed seabirds, seals, and larger fish across the north-eastern Atlantic, but they live very different lives.
| Lesser Sand Eel | Herring | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Ammodytes tobianus | Clupea harengus |
| Appearance | Not a true eel, but a slim, silvery fish with a pointed snout and a long dorsal fin | A slender, streamlined fish, deep blue-green on the back and brilliant silver on the sides |
| Size | Usually 15 to 20 cm long | About 20 to 35 cm long |
| Hiding | Dives into clean sand to hide from predators and to rest | Relies on the safety of enormous schools instead of hiding |
| Diet | Plankton, small crustaceans, and fish larvae, picked from the water above the sand | Small planktonic animals, chiefly copepods, along with fish eggs and larvae, sieved from the water |
| Eggs | Laid on sandy bottoms in winter, with the young drifting in the plankton before settling | Sticky eggs that settle onto gravel, stones, and seaweed in dense layers on the sea bed |
| Role in the ecosystem | Eaten by puffins, terns, seals, cod, bass, and many other predators, so its numbers affect seabirds and fish | Forms some of the largest animal aggregations on the planet, with schools of hundreds of millions of fish |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, though its numbers vary from year to year | Least Concern, and the base of a fishery central to the medieval Hanseatic League and the Dutch Golden Age |
Lesser Sand Eel vs Herring: common questions
Is a sand eel a true eel?
No, despite its name it is a slim, silvery fish with a pointed snout, a forked tail, and a long dorsal fin, not a true eel.
Which one hides in sand?
The lesser sand eel, which dives into clean sand to hide from predators and to rest.
Why are both important?
Both are eaten by many predators, including seabirds, seals, and larger fish, so changes in their numbers affect the wider ecosystem.