Discussion
I was doing some work in my garden earlier and stumbled across this. I must have accidentally chopped into it whilst digging but it's also possible that it was dropped by a gull although the timing would be a bit of a coincidence.
It looks like an eel but I'm a good 7m above the nearest water and there is no obvious watercourse nearby ( other than the storm drainsbin the road) but this would have been in the earth under my lawn. There was a rotten tree stump under the ground but again I'm not sure that's the habitat of choice for a water dwelling creature.
Anyone got any ideas?
It looks like an eel but I'm a good 7m above the nearest water and there is no obvious watercourse nearby ( other than the storm drainsbin the road) but this would have been in the earth under my lawn. There was a rotten tree stump under the ground but again I'm not sure that's the habitat of choice for a water dwelling creature.
Anyone got any ideas?
Rinse it off to be sure, but if that's not a european eel I'll be very surprised.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_eel
Not too surprised to find one on land as they are quite capable of travelling overland in wet conditions & can be found in landlocked bodies of water in the UK.
Burial is odd but could it have been one found, killed & buried by a fox or other animal?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_eel
Not too surprised to find one on land as they are quite capable of travelling overland in wet conditions & can be found in landlocked bodies of water in the UK.
Burial is odd but could it have been one found, killed & buried by a fox or other animal?
Edited by paintman on Wednesday 30th January 17:23
Looks like what I would call a sand eel - a bait fish I used to use all the time for sea fishing. The name gets applied to lots of long, thin sardine-like fish.
Size is spot on and looks exactly like the kind I would usually put on a hook. I'd guess it got there after being dropped by a seabird.
Size is spot on and looks exactly like the kind I would usually put on a hook. I'd guess it got there after being dropped by a seabird.
paintman said:
Rinse it off to be sure, but if that's not a european eel I'll be very surprised.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_eel
Not too surprised to find one on land as they are quite capable of travelling overland in wet conditions & can be found in landlocked bodies of water in the UK.
Burial is odd but could it have been one found, killed & buried by a fox or other animal?
+1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_eel
Not too surprised to find one on land as they are quite capable of travelling overland in wet conditions & can be found in landlocked bodies of water in the UK.
Burial is odd but could it have been one found, killed & buried by a fox or other animal?
Edited by paintman on Wednesday 30th January 17:23
Looks like an eel to me too. Eels travelling overland, sometimes in numbers, are well documented.
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff