The rare sight of a Gulper eel was caught on the ocean floor off the west coast of Costa Rica. Photo/Schmidt Ocean Institute
CALIFORNIA – A rare sight of a Gulper’s sea eel recorded on the ocean floor off the west coast of Costa Rica. Gulper eel or Pelican Eel (Eurypharynx pelecanoides) has a large stomach and jaws to prey on squid.
Gulper eel was recorded by an underwater camera on June 20, 2023, by researchers aboard the Research Vessel (RV) Falkor while controlling the SuBastian long-range vehicle (ROV). The ROV is making the final dive of its Octopus Odyssey expedition off the west coast of Costa Rica.
Their camera accidentally shows a rare snake-like fish with a prominent lump on its body. Gulper eels swim at a depth of 6,900 feet or 2,100 meters below sea level.
The short video was shared on Twitter by representatives from the Schmidt Ocean Institute which organized the mission. The eel is seen twisting its body as it swims towards the camera before disappearing into the darkness of the sea.
The elusive eel, which has only been seen a few times in the wild. He was given the name Gulper for his ability to open his jaws and expand his throat like a pelican. Gulper eel is known as one of the animals with the most elastic mouth.
Experts suspect this extraordinary ability allows him to eat a much larger meal than his slender body. “This is the first Gulper Eel we have recorded,” said Diva Amon, a Caribbean marine biologist who was in the control room of the ROV, quoted by SINDOnews from the Live Science page, Friday (30/6/2023).
Gulper eels can loosen their jaws and widen their throats, when preying on squids in one gulp. In rare footage this eel appears to change shape with an enormous belly swimming in the deep sea.
Experts weren’t sure what was inside the Gulper Eel’s stomach, but SOI representatives suspect it was either squid or a school of preyed prawns. According to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) in Massachusetts, Gulper Eels also eat large clumps of seaweed.
Gulper eels are not skilled hunters or swimmers. Instead, they use bioluminescence to produce a red light at the tip of their tail for prey to come closer to be swallowed whole.
(wib)
2023-06-30 04:38:29
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