sand lance

American  

Or sand launce

noun

1. any slender marine fish of the family Ammodytidae that burrows into the sand.

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sand lance British  

noun

1. another name for the sand eel

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Etymology

Origin of sand lance

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sand lance

One fish, though — the sand lance — has remained in abundance this year, allowing puffins to thrive, said Don Lyons, director of conservation science at National Audubon Society’s Seabird Institute in Bremen, Maine.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 29, 2023

Huge die-offs of seabirds and a small forage fish known as the sand lance had caught his interest around that time, and in 2005 funding finally allowed him to expand testing to the broader ecosystem.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 24, 2022

Humpbacks are not aggressive, and Mayo thinks it was an accidental encounter while the whale was feeding on fish, probably sand lance.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 11, 2021

On a remote island in the northern gulf, where scientists have tracked seabird diets for decades, they noticed that capelin and sand lance, staples for many bird species, nearly vanished from the birds' meals.

From Science Magazine ● Jan. 31, 2019

A sign explained that the restoring nearshore habitat creates nursery grounds for migrating salmon and spawning grounds for surf smelt and sand lance.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 27, 2016