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The pelican eel, ''Eurypharynx pelecanoides'', is a deep-sea fish rarely seen by humans, though it is occasionally caught in fishing nets. It is an eel-like fish and the only known member of the genus ''Eurypharynx'' and the family Eurypharyngidae. It belongs to the order Saccopharyngiformes, which is closely related to the true eels in Anguilliformes. It is also referred to as the gulper eel, 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 bird. ==Description== The pelican eel's most notable feature is its large mouth, much larger than its body. The mouth is loosely hinged, and can be opened wide enough to swallow a fish much larger than the eel itself. The pouch-like lower jaw resembles that of a pelican, hence its name. The lower jaw is hinged at the base of the head, with no body mass behind it, making the head look disproportionately large. When it feeds on prey, water that is ingested is expelled via the gills.〔http://www.factzoo.com/fish/gulper-eel-pelican-frightening-jaws-deep-sea.html〕 Gulper eels are black and some subspecies may have a thin lateral white stripe. They are ray-finned fish, and only resemble eels in appearance. The gulper eel is very different in appearance to most other () eel species. What makes the gulper eel so different from other fish, is not so much what it has, but what it doesn't have. They lack pelvic fins, swim bladders, and scales. Their muscle segments have a “V-shape”, while other fish have “W-shaped” muscle segments. 〔http://www.factzoo.com/fish/gulper-eel-pelican-frightening-jaws-deep-sea.html〕 Unlike many other deep sea creatures, it has very small eyes. It is believed that the eyes evolved to detect faint traces of light rather than form images. The gulper eel also has a very long, whip-like tail. Specimens that have been brought to the surface in fishing nets have been known to have their long tails tied into several knots. The gulper eel uses a whip-like tail for movement. The end of the tail bears a complex organ with numerous tentacles, which glows pink and gives off occasional bright-red flashes. This is presumably a lure to attract prey, although its presence at the far end of the body from the mouth suggests the eel may have to adopt an unusual posture to use it effectively. Gulper eels are also unusual that the ampullae of the lateral line system projects from the body, rather than being contained in a narrow groove; this may increase its sensitivity.〔 The gulper eel grows to about in length.〔Dianne J. Bray, 2011, gulper Eel, Eurypharynx pelecanoides, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 7 October 2014, http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3300〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「pelican eel」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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