Scientific name : Sepia officinalis

 

Size : 30 to 40 cm

 

Biology : Cuttlefish live in sea grass beds and mixed sand and rock bottoms. It can quickly take on the colour of the sand, but can also bury itself in it.
Carnivorous, it hunts fish and crustaceans on the lookout, aided by its camouflage skills and two tentacles that it can catapult forward to seize its prey.

 

Scientific name : Anguilla anguilla

 

Family : Anguillidae (freshwater eels, 19 species)
Size : Up to 130 cm
Distribution : North Atlantic Ocean and fresh waters throughout Europe

 

Biology : The European eel is an exceptional migratory fish. The larvae are born in the Sargasso Sea, at the other end of the Atlantic Ocean. Then, they travel up the rivers of Europe, where they grow up before returning to the sea for reproduction purposes. There is still a lack of knowledge about its life cycle. Eels are seriously threatened by the domestication of rivers and pollution. 98% of the eel population has disappeared in 50 years.

 

IUCN status : Critically endangered

 

Scientific name : Trisopterus luscus

 

Size : 35 – 45 cm

 

Biology : This coastal species (up to 300 metres deep) often lives in small schools by a rocky bottom. It also enters estuaries.
The young mainly feed on small crustaceans, but adults also eat worms, cephalopods and small fish.

 

Scientific name : Pollachius pollachius

 

Family : Gadidae
Size : Up to 140 cm
Distribution : Atlantic, Channel, North sea

 

Biology : It can usually be found by rocky bottoms. It lies in waiting, ready to pounce on preys that leave their shelter.

 

Scientific name : Muraena helena

 

Family : Muraenidae
Size : Up to 150 cm
Distribution : Mediterranean and East Atlantic

 

Biology : The Moray physically looks like a snake. It has a long purple body marbled with white. It doesn’t have scales. The anal and dorsal fins merge into a rounded caudal fin.
It is a relatively timid animal that lives hidden in crevasses. It will only attack to defend itself if it feels threatened. So it’s best to avoid disturbing it.

 

Scientific name : Conger conger

 

Family : Congridae (conger eels and garden eels, 197 species)
Size : Up to 210 cm
Distribution : European coasts, from Iceland to the Mediterranean sea

 

Biology : Often found in association with the common moray eel, with which it often shares the same cavities. Like the moray eel, it is a predator of cephalopods, crustaceans and fish.
The conger eel only reproduces once in its lifetime, as the development of its gonads is to the detriment of its vital organs. It then migrates to a depth of more than 1 000 m, where reproduction takes place, which is still relatively poorly understood today.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Atherina presbyter

 

Family : Atherinidae (atherines, 69 species)
Size : Up to 20 cm
Distribution : Coasts of Europe and North Africa

 

Biology : This small fish is typical of coastal and brackish waters. To protect itself from predators, it travels in compact shoals. It feeds on all kinds of invertebrates, including small crustaceans, worms and even insects, depending on the environment it frequents.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Palaemon varians

 

Family : Palaemonidae (prawns, over 1,200 species)
Size : Up to 5 cm
Distribution : European coasts and Mediterranean Sea

 

Biology : This is a shallow-water species that inhabits lagoons, river mouths and often the rivers themselves. It is a hardy shrimp that tolerates wide variations in salinity, between 9 and 35 grams of salt per litre, as well as wide variations in temperature, between 1 and 30°C. They are an important source of food for fish migrating between freshwater and the sea.

 

IUCN status : Least concern