Gulper eel

Depth: 2,200 m · Midnight Zone

The gulper eel opens its huge mouth like a balloon, far bigger than its thin body. That lets it swallow prey almost as large as itself. At the end of its long tail glows a tiny pink light.

For scientists

Eurypharynx has a loosely hinged jaw and almost no teeth, because instead of hunting it engulfs whole swarms of small crustaceans in one gulp. The light organ at its tail tip probably lures prey close. At breeding time the males change their bodies dramatically, enlarging their smell organs and ceasing to feed.

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