Pelican eel
Encyclopedia
The pelican eel, or Eurypharynx pelecanoides, is a deep-sea fish
rarely seen by humans, though the creatures are occasionally caught in fishing nets. It is an eel-like fish, the only known member of the genus Eurypharynx and the family Eurypharyngidae. It belongs to the order Saccopharyngiformes
which is closely related to the true eels in Anguilliformes. It is also sometimes referred to as the umbrella mouth gulper. The specific epithet pelecanoides refers to the pelican
, because the large mouth is reminiscent of that of the bird. The fish is also known by the alternative scientific names Gastrostomus pacificus, Macropharynx longicaudatus, Gastrostomus bairdii, Eurypharynx richardi and Leptocephalus pseudolatissimus.
The pelican eel's most notable feature is its enormous mouth, much larger than its body. The mouth is loosely-hinged, and can be opened wide enough to swallow a fish much larger than the eel itself. The pouch-like lower jaw
resembles that of a pelican
, hence its name. The stomach can stretch and expand to accommodate large meals, although analysis of stomach contents suggests that the eels primarily eat small crustacean
s. Despite the great size of the jaws, which occupy about a quarter of the animal's total length, it has only tiny teeth, which also would not be consistent with a regular diet of large fish.
The eel uses a whip-like tail for movement. The end of the tail bears a complex organ with numerous tentacles, which glows
pink and gives off occasional bright red flashes. This is presumably a lure to attract prey, although its presence at the far end of the body from the mouth suggests that the eel may have to adopt an unusual posture to use it effectively. Pelican eels are also unusual in that the lateral line
organ projects from the body, rather than being contained in a narrow groove; this may increase its sensitivity.
The pelican eel grows to about 1 metres (3.3 ft) in length and is found in all tropical and subtropical seas at depths ranging from 900 to 8,000 meters (3,000 to 26,200 feet).
Deep sea fish
Deep sea fish is a term for any fish that lives below the photic zone of the ocean. The lanternfish is, by far, the most common deep sea fish. Other deep sea fish include the flashlight fish, cookiecutter shark, bristlemouths, anglerfish, and viperfish....
rarely seen by humans, though the creatures are occasionally caught in fishing nets. It is an eel-like fish, the only known member of the genus Eurypharynx and the family Eurypharyngidae. It belongs to the order Saccopharyngiformes
Saccopharyngiformes
Saccopharyngiformes is an order of unusual ray-finned fish superficially similar to eels, but with many internal differences. Most of the fish in this order are deep-sea types known from only a handful of specimens such as the Umbrella Mouth Gulper Eel. Saccopharyngiformes are also bioluminescent...
which is closely related to the true eels in Anguilliformes. It is also sometimes referred to as the umbrella mouth gulper. The specific epithet pelecanoides refers to the pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
, because the large mouth is reminiscent of that of the bird. The fish is also known by the alternative scientific names Gastrostomus pacificus, Macropharynx longicaudatus, Gastrostomus bairdii, Eurypharynx richardi and Leptocephalus pseudolatissimus.
Description
Jaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
resembles that of a pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
, hence its name. The stomach can stretch and expand to accommodate large meals, although analysis of stomach contents suggests that the eels primarily eat small crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s. Despite the great size of the jaws, which occupy about a quarter of the animal's total length, it has only tiny teeth, which also would not be consistent with a regular diet of large fish.
The eel uses a whip-like tail for movement. The end of the tail bears a complex organ with numerous tentacles, which glows
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
pink and gives off occasional bright red flashes. This is presumably a lure to attract prey, although its presence at the far end of the body from the mouth suggests that the eel may have to adopt an unusual posture to use it effectively. Pelican eels are also unusual in that the lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
organ projects from the body, rather than being contained in a narrow groove; this may increase its sensitivity.
The pelican eel grows to about 1 metres (3.3 ft) in length and is found in all tropical and subtropical seas at depths ranging from 900 to 8,000 meters (3,000 to 26,200 feet).