sand lance
- noun
- /sænd læns/
:
lance de arena
- Over 24 species, including sand lance, silver hake, Atlantic cod, capelin, and flatfish, were identified from scats collected on Sable Island (Bowen and Harrison, 1994).
- sand lance population
- Pacific sand lance
- hake and sand lance
Examples
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However, fluctuations in the abundance of commercially exploited species that either prey upon or compete with sand lance could indirectly affect sand lance populations.
Academic text (2000) -
Herring and sand lance apparently exploit similar prey and fill similar niches trophically.
Academic text (2000) -
Herring consumption near Cape Cod increased when sand lance availability decreased.
Academic text (2000) -
They did not find Pacific sand lance in spotted seal stomachs at Kasegaluk Lagoon.
Academic text (1997) -
However, fluctuations in the abundance of commercially exploited species that either prey upon or compete with sand lance could indirectly affect sand lance populations.
Academic text (2000) -
Prey consumed included windowpane flounder, silver hake, sand lance, skates, and gadids.
Academic text (2000) -
Overall, sand lance constituted at least 55% FO of the winter diet in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts (Payne and Selzer, 1989).
Academic text (2000) -
The sand lance is often found swimming in schools near sandy beaches.
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During the summer, many fishermen come to catch sand lances along the coast.
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Seabirds dive into the water to catch sand lances that swim in shallow waters.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A very small silver fish like an eel that buries itself in sand near the shore
1
6.1
A small thin fish that looks like an eel and buries itself in sand near the shore
Very small thin silver fish that burrows into sandy beaches and forms schools
A small thin sea fish that lives near coasts and buries in sand
A small fish that lives in sandy areas and burrows into the sand
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
sand + lance
If a learner knows 'sand' and 'lance' (lance as 'spear'), they can infer a slender, spear‑like thing associated with sand, which plausibly points to a small animal living in sandy areas. However, identifying the specific referent as a particular fish species and its behaviour (swimming in schools and burrowing) is a metaphorical leap and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The name sand lance comes from the fish's long, thin shape and sandy home. It is narrow like a small spear, a lance, and it slips quickly into the sand, so the name now means a small fish on sandy shores that 'burrows' to hide.