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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. [5] The specific epithet pelecanoides refers to the pelican , as the fish's large mouth is reminiscent of that of the pelican.
Saccopharynx ampullaceus, referred to as the gulper eel, gulper, [1] taillight gulper or pelican-fish, is an ocean-dwelling eel found in the North Atlantic Ocean. They are found up to a depth of 3,000 m (9,800 ft). [3] [4] These fish are rarely observed, so little information is currently known about their habits or full distribution.
For example, in Africa, the pink-backed pelican generally takes fish ranging in size from fry up to 400 g (0.9 lb) and the great white pelican prefers somewhat larger fish, up to 600 g (1.3 lb), but in Europe, the latter species has been recorded taking fish up to 1,850 g (4.1 lb). [71] In deep water, white pelicans often fish alone.
The whole thing happens so quickly that the fish is still wriggling inside the gullet of the pelican once he’s landed back in the water. What a dramatic meal! All About Pelicans
Saccopharynx is a genus of deep-sea eels with large mouths, distensible stomachs and long, scaleless bodies. Commonly, these fish are called gulpers or gulper eels.It is the only genus in the family Saccopharyngidae, and is part of the derived lineage of the "saccopharyngiforms," which includes other mid-water eel species.
Unlike the brown pelican (P. occidentalis), the American white pelican does not dive for its food. Instead, it catches its prey while swimming. Each bird eats more than four pounds (1.8 kg) of food a day. [17] The fish taken by pelicans can range from the size of minnows to 3.5-pound pickerels. [18]
It needs from 0.9 to 1.4 kg (2.0 to 3.1 lb) of fish every day, [7] which corresponds to around 28,000,000 kg (62,000,000 lb) annual fish consumption at the largest colony of the great white pelican, on Tanzania's Lake Rukwa (with almost 75,000 birds). Fish targeted are usually fairly large ones, in the 500–600 g (1.1–1.3 lb) weight range ...
Most of the fish in this group are deep-dwelling and rarely seen, typically known from only a handful of specimens. Species include recognizable fish such as pelican eels (also commonly known as gulper eels) and bobtail eels. Some can live deep in the ocean, well into the aphotic zone, approximately 500 to 1,800 meters (1,600 to 5,900 ft) deep.