'Eel do all right!

One of the most fascinating fish to get washed up on our shores is the conger eel. But we don't see them all that often.

This one, a mere metre long, was found in Ilfracombe Harbous.

Melissa found this specimen (dead unfortunately) washed up on Woolacombe beach.

Melissa said of her find: "I was having a walk on the beach yesterday, amazing as I've never seen a conger washed up before. I know there are some around Putsborough but this was just before Mill Rock on the main sandy beach."

Melissa estimates that the eel was two or three feet long - big enough to give you quite a surprise on your stroll along the beach!

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Moray eels, above, are found only in or near the tropics or subtropics.

Conger eels are not uncommon on the western coasts of England and Wales. They are more common on the western coasts than the eastern coasts as they spawn (produce eggs) in the Atlantic.

Conger eels can grow to huge sizes - in 2015 a an eel was caught off the coast of South Devon that was twenty feet long!

Conger eels have very sharp teeth which they use for feeding on fish. Fortunately for swimming humans, eels hide themselves away in cracks and crevices during daylight.

For more on fish, we've a whole page on them.