How does the gulper eel survive?
Adaptation. The gulper eel has acquired a unique adaptation to be able to survive in the deep oceans with little food there. The gulper eel has developed a huge mouth with a unhinged jaw. This allows it to feed not only on small organisms, but it is also able to engulf organisms bigger than itself.
What can a gulper eel do with its jaw?
The large mouth may be an adaptation to allow the eel to eat a wider variety of prey when food is scarce. It can also be used like a large net. The eel can swim into a large groups of shrimp or other crustaceans with its mouth wide open, scooping them up as it goes.
What makes the gulper eel unique?
What makes these creatures different from other eels is the size of their heads. The heads of gulper eels are enormous compared to the rest of their bodies. They have loosely hinged mouths, which can open wide enough to eat large animals. Inside their large mouths are several tiny, sharp teeth.
Why does the gulper eel inflate?
Caught in the act It shows an inflated juvenile gulper eel, Eurypharynx pelecanoides, performing what could be described as fluid acrobatics before rapidly changing back to its original size and shape and swimming off into the dark.
How do eels adapt to their environment?
The almost 200 species of moray eel have many different adaptations, including a snake-like, streamlined body coated in mucus and no pectoral or pelvic fins. Their camouflaged coloring helps them blend in with their surroundings and ambush prey.
Are gulper eels endangered?
Not extinct
Pelican eel/Extinction status
Are electric eels bioluminescent?
Their electrical abilities stand as one of the wonders of nature alongside traits like bioluminescence in some insects and sea creatures and echolocation in bats and whales.
Why do gulper eels protect themselves?
Gulper Eels have very large mouths with many rows of teeth. To protect itself it uses its mouth as a net. They use their pulsating glowing tail to attract their prey and quickly gulps them up. Since the Gulper Eel lives in the depths of the ocean, its predator is a Lancetfish and other deep sea creatures.
How do eels survive in the ocean?
Eels swim by generating body waves which travel the length of their bodies. They can swim backwards by reversing the direction of the wave. Most eels live in the shallow waters of the ocean and burrow into sand, mud, or amongst rocks.