The lower mandible of a gulper eel approximates one-fourth the span of its complete body.(Image credit: David Shale, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)ShareShare by:
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Name: Pelican eel (Eurypharynx pelecanoides)
Where it inhabits: Within tropical and temperate zones of the abyssal ocean, at depths spanning from 1,600 feet to approximately 10,000 feet (500 to 3,000 meters)
What it consumes: Marine invertebrates, fish, squid and other crustaceans
As it meanders through the pitchy obscurity of the “midnight zone” in the deep ocean, the pelican eel sways its thin, whiplike tail and extensive, snakelike form. It’s challenging to envision its delicate physique devouring sizable quarry — that is, until the eel extends its jaw in an umbrella-like fashion and reveals its spacious sac of a mouth.
Pelican Eel Seen Just After Eating in Costa Rica Deep Dive – YouTube
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The pelican eel, similarly recognized as a gulper eel, attains a length of approximately 3.3 feet (1 m) and features profound black skin that engrosses nearly all light, rendering it practically unseen in the somber depths of the sea.
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The hinged lower mandible of a gulper eel approximates one-quarter the length of its total body. While its oral cavity is immense, it displays diminutive eyes and notably small teeth. Furthermore, it lacks scales along with a swim bladder, which aquatic creatures employ to modulate their buoyancy. Its pectoral fins are so curtailed that they are nearly imperceptible.
Consequently, the pelican eel demonstrates subpar swimming and hunting capabilities. Nevertheless, its expansive maw renders the eel a remarkably opportunistic predator. A light-emitting structure, or photophore, positioned at the terminus of the eel’s tail emits a pink or radiant red luminescence in the inky depths and is believed to function as a fishing enticement, luring quarry proximate to the eel’s sizable trap of a mouth.
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A pelican eel’s supple stomach possesses the capability to extend considerably to contain a substantial meal. During 2023, scientists engaged in exploring waters off the coast of Costa Rica utilizing a remotely guided submersible, when they observed a pelican eel that had lately eaten. As it navigated away from the camera, its abdomen was visibly and conspicuously bulging. Its configuration implied that the eel’s preceding repast consisted of a squid, as conveyed by the researchers.
Upon male pelican eels attaining sexual maturity, their jaws diminish in strength, and they forfeit teeth, yet they cultivate larger olfactory organs, thereby refining their sense of smell. This presumably facilitates their ability to locate companions. Nevertheless, akin to numerous deep-sea denizens, there remains a wealth of knowledge to acquire concerning this species’ customs and actions in its indigenous habitat.
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Mindy WeisbergerSocial Links NavigationLive Science Contributor
Mindy Weisberger functions as a science journalist in addition to an author of “Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control” (Hopkins Press). Her prior role encompassed editing for Scholastic, as well as serving as a channel editor and senior writer for Live Science. Her reporting encompasses general science, with a concentration on climate shifts, paleontology, biology, and space exploration. Mindy pursued film studies at Columbia University; before her tenure at LS, she engaged in the production, composition, and direction of media for the American Museum of Natural History situated in NYC. Her cinematic productions concerning dinosaurs, astrophysics, biodiversity, and evolution have been showcased in museums and science centers globally, garnering accolades such as the CINE Golden Eagle and the Communicator Award of Excellence. Furthermore, her literary contributions have materialized in Scientific American, The Washington Post, How It Works Magazine, and CNN.
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