Pelican eel
The pelican eel (Eurypharynx pelecanoides) is a deep-sea eel. It is the only known member of the genus Eurypharynx and the family Eurypharyngidae. It belongs to the "saccopharyngiforms", members of which were historically placed in their own order, but are now considered true eels in the order Anguilliformes. The pelican eel has been described by many synonyms, yet nobody has been able to demonstrate that more than one species of pelican eel exists. It is also referred to as the gulper eel (which can also refer to members of the related genus Saccopharynx), pelican gulper, and umbrella-mouth gulper. The specific epithet pelecanoides refers to the pelican, as the fish's large mouth is reminiscent of that of the pelican.
| Pelican eel | |
|---|---|
| The mouth of the pelican eel can open wide enough to swallow prey much larger than the eel itself. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Eurypharyngidae Gill, 1883 |
| Genus: | Eurypharynx Vaillant, 1882 |
| Species: | E. pelecanoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Eurypharynx pelecanoides Vaillant, 1882 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Gastrostomus pacificus | |