Conger
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Conger Temporal range: 55–0 Ma Early Eocene to Present |
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| Conger oceanicus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Congridae |
| Genus: |
Conger Oken, 1817 |
| Species | |
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See text. |
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See text.
Conger (/ˈkɒŋɡər/ KONG-gər) is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 3 m (10 ft) in length, in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during the day in parts of the Mediterranean Sea, and both European and American congers are sometimes caught by fishermen along the European and North American coasts.
The life histories of most conger eels are poorly known. Based on collections of their small larvae, the American conger eel has been found to spawn in the southwestern Sargasso Sea, close to the spawning areas of the Atlantic freshwater eels.
"Conger" or "conger eel" is sometimes included in the common names of species of the family Congridae, including members of this genus.
Fishing for congers is recorded in the 12th-century, the Norman taxation Pipe Roll recorded two éperquerie on Guernsey and one on Sark which were designated places where conger were dried.
One species of the conger eel, Conger myriaster, is an important food fish in East Asia. It is often served as sushi.
Congers are predators and can attack humans. In July, 2013, a diver was attacked by a conger eel in Killary Harbour, Ireland, at a depth of 25 metres (82 ft). The eel bit a large chunk from his face. The diver reported the creature was more than 6 feet (1.8 m) in length and "about the width of a human thigh".
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Wikipedia