PELICAN EEL

Impression of Pelican Eel hunting

Eurypharynx pelecanoides

The Pelican Eel is an extremely rare species of Eel-like fish. They live in the Bathypelagic (Midnight) zone surrounding the equator. The name ‘Pelican Eel’ is derived from their massive jaw gape. They are also referred to as Gulper Eels, Pelican Gulpers and Umbrella-Mouth(ed) Gulper. The mouth makes up a fifth of their body length. The massive jaw size allows them to swallow large prey and scoop up masses of small crustaceans. To lure prey, the end of the Eel’s tail flashes red and pink. The Eel has a highly elastic stomach which lets them digest massive amounts of food. The fish measures 2 Ft (0.6 M) long. The Ocean Exploration Team ‘Nautilus’ came across a young Eel using one of their ROVs. To their surprise, the Eel inflated its mouth almost five times its original size and began swimming in an aggressive pattern, flashing its mouth at the ROV. After doing so it deflated its mouth to a point and swam off. Some scientists agree that this might be a defence to frighten off potential threats or in this case, the ROV.