American Sand Lance
Ammodytes americanus
very important species to the marine ecosystem of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is the American sand lance. There are lots of important species (all species are important actually) but I wanted to mention the American sand lance in particular because they are the favorite prey of many of our whales… especially the Humpback whale. Whenever we see Sand lance in abundance, there will surely be alot whales too!
Sand Lance (which are often times referred to as “Sand eels” although the are not eels at all) are pencil-sized, pencil-shaped fish that get their because they have a habit of burrowing themselves into the sand on the ocean floor to evade predators or to rest safely out of site from the long list of animals that like to eat them. Their sharply pointed snouts allow them to burrow into the sand so quickly they can seem to just disappear into the bottom almost instantaneously. They can breathe even when completely buried because the sandy bottom of Stellwagen Bank is aerated by the strong currents that flow through the area. Stellwagen Bank’s unique geology is ideal Sand lance habitat and so Stellwagen Bank and its sandy substrate is largely responsible for making Massachusetts Bay the premier whale watching destination that it is.
