THE PENICAL EEL

Hey! You got pelican in my eel!
You got your eel in my pelican!

Yikes. Yes, the pelican eel is actually an eel, and its mouth is huge, hence the name. Also known as the umbrella mouth gulper, this is a deep sea fish that’s rarely ever seen by humans. It does occasionally show up in fishing nets, however.

Growing up to a meter in length, the jaw alone makes up for a quarter of the total size. Loosely hinged, the jaw can open wide enough to eat fish much larger than the pelican eel itself (its stomach is rather accommodating to this unique feature). However, such extreme measures are rarely needed in the pelican’s daily operations. Its diet consists mostly of small crustaceans and its teeth are too small to chew much else. While you wouldn’t want to see this thing come flying out of your toilet, it doesn’t pose much of a threat to you unless you are a crab