sand eel

noun

1. sand lance.

2. New Zealand.,  sandfish.

sand eel

noun

1. Popular name: launce. any silvery eel-like marine spiny-finned fish of the family Ammodytidae found burrowing in sand or shingle

Word History and Origins

Origin of sand eel¹

1275–1325; Middle English sandel; sand, eel

Example Sentences

The sand eel, a small eel-like fish that spends most of the year buried in shallow sediments, plays a key role in this process.

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Malcolm Russell says it is possible that they were following sand eels into the bay, or that heavy rain at the weekend made the water much less salty than usual.

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“Clams, scallops, flounder, and sand eels are associated with soft sand bottoms,” he said.

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He added that minke whales feed on sand eels, sprat, young herring, other "shoaling small fishes" and zooplankton and there "must be good food for this animal to bring it into this area".

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"That's when you see all the shots of birds coming back in with beaks full of sand eels and feeding the hungry chicks," said Drew.

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