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

There are about 1,500 breeding pairs in the state and they are dependent on fish such as herring and sand lance to be able to feed their young.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 15, 2021

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

Alaska researchers do not routinely survey forage fish eaten by murres, such as capelin, a kind of smelt, and sand lance, another finger-length silvery fish.

From Washington Times • Feb. 4, 2016

Whether lob-tail fishing is only used for sand lance isn’t yet clear.

From Scientific American • Apr. 28, 2013