Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing pelican eels. Pelican eels are also known as gulper eels and umbrella-mouth gulper eels. This might cause a bit of confusion as there are other fish also referred to as gulper eels, but in this episode we’re focusing on the ones most commonly known as pelican eels. Pelican eels get their name from their massive mouth which can expand to hold prey just like the pouch of a pelican. These fish mainly eat crustaceans but they are also known to take cephalopods and other fish. Their mouths can be opened wide enough to eat animals even bigger than they are though generally they are believed to swim with a wide open mouth that catches prey like a fishing net. In size, pelican eels average 20 inches (50cm) in length but can reach up to twice that size, though their tail makes up about half that length. While eating, pelican eels ingest a lot of water which is then expelled through their gill slits.

These eels can’t swim well, but they don’t need to. They have a light producing organ at the end of their tail which draws in prey. The light is usually pink in color, but it can flash red as well. This flashy display of color in the dark depths of the ocean is what attracts unsuspecting meals. Unlike other deep sea dwelling creatures, such as barreleye fish, pelican eels have tiny eyes that are believed to be used for detecting light. When pelican eels are drawn up from the ocean depths, accidentally caught in deep sea fishing nets, their long, spindly tails are often tied in multiple knots.

Pelican eels live in temperate and tropical waters around the world usually staying about a mile (1,600 meters) below the surface. They have, however, been caught in waters as shallow as 1,600 feet (500m) and can live to depths of nearly two miles (3,200m). They are completely lacking in scales and pelvic fins similar to the moray eels we’ve discussed in a previous episode. Unlike moray eels, however, pelican eels do not have a swim bladder! Pelican eels are considered eels, though, as they are currently classified in the “true” eel order.

They are preyed upon by lancet fish and other deep sea creatures. There isn’t much information on how long this fish can live, though it’s currently assumed that they die shortly after mating. Not much is known on the maturation of pelican eels or their process of reproduction, however, it has been observed that as males mature, their teeth will reduce in size and their snouts will enlarge. It’s predicted that this occurs so males are more easily able to locate a female via pheromones. As far as it is known, females do not undergo any major changes before reaching maturity. Their eggs are believed to be planktonic along with the larvae that hatch from them.

Pelican eels generally appear black in color and some individuals may sport a white stripe along the base of the dorsal fin, or the fin that can be found along the fish’s back. Some pelican eels accidentally captured in deep sea fishing nets have been found with their tails tied in knots. They have small teeth, unlike their anglerfish neighbors, though their stomach is able to expand to digest prey even larger than the eel itself.

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