The Pelican Eel has an elongate body with a luminous organ at the end of the tail. The eyes are tiny and close to the snout. There are several rows of small teeth in the massive jaws.
The species is black, sometimes with a white line or groove on either side of the dorsal fin.
Location in the world
The Pelican Eel has an elongate body with a luminous organ at the end of the tail. The eyes are tiny and close to the snout. There are several rows of small teeth in the massive jaws.
The species is black, sometimes with a white line or groove on either side of the dorsal fin.
Diet Its major food items are crustaceans, but it also feeds on fishes, cephalopods and other invertebrates. It is believed to ingest its prey along with a quantity of water that is expelled through the gill openings.
Predators
(what other organisms eat this organism?)
Young
(how many get born at one time? Do the young look any different than the adults? Do they have a larval stage?)
Niche or role in their ecosystem
(what roles does this organism play in its ecosystem? Why is it important?
Other names umbrella mouth gulper,big mouth gulper eel, pelican gulper, pelican gulper fish, pelican fish, deep-sea gulper, gulper eel
Pelican Eel
Eurypharynx pelecanoides
Size (length and weight)
3.3 ft longPhysical description
The Pelican Eel has an elongate body with a luminous organ at the end of the tail. The eyes are tiny and close to the snout. There are several rows of small teeth in the massive jaws.
The species is black, sometimes with a white line or groove on either side of the dorsal fin.
Location in the world
The Pelican Eel has an elongate body with a luminous organ at the end of the tail. The eyes are tiny and close to the snout. There are several rows of small teeth in the massive jaws.
The species is black, sometimes with a white line or groove on either side of the dorsal fin.
Diet
Its major food items are crustaceans, but it also feeds on fishes, cephalopods and other invertebrates. It is believed to ingest its prey along with a quantity of water that is expelled through the gill openings.
Predators
(what other organisms eat this organism?)
Young
(how many get born at one time? Do the young look any different than the adults? Do they have a larval stage?)
Niche or role in their ecosystem
(what roles does this organism play in its ecosystem? Why is it important?
Other names
umbrella mouth gulper,big mouth gulper eel, pelican gulper, pelican gulper fish, pelican fish, deep-sea gulper, gulper eel
The author is not stated.
Australian Museum
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Gulper-Eel-Eurypharynx-pelecanoides-Vaillant-1882
© Australian Museum
3/13/10, 3/15/10
Marissa Rattray
Gulper Eel (Eurypharynx pelecanoides)http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/rattray_mari/
April 2007
3/15/10, 3/16/10
Crispina B. Binohlan
Eurypharynx pelecanoides Vaillant, 1882
http://www.fishbase.gr/summary/speciessummary.php?id=4526
February 11,2010
3/15/10, 3/16/10
Five Questions
1. Does it have any predators?
2. How deep can it go?3. Is it important to humans?
4. Is it common?
5. How does the water get out of its mouth when it eats?