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Browse the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
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Graphic: An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand 1966.

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This information was published in 1966 in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock. It has not been corrected and will not be updated.

Up-to-date information can be found elsewhere in Te Ara.

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EEL, CONGER

The conger eel (Conger verreauxi), or ngoio of the Maoris, is the most common of a number of marine species of eels. The common conger grows up to 6 ft in length with a weight of 35 Ib, is restricted to salt water, and is variously coloured, for it may be dark grey, pale brown, yellowish, or pale greenish. It seldom has markings, but is usually paler below. Other species of congers have elaborate patterns in red brown, orange, and grey. The remarkable, large, but very slender snake eel, Ophisurus serpens, attains a length of 8 ft, but its maximum diameter is no more than 2 in.

by Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.

Co-creator

Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.