Rare Gulper Eel Encounter with Engorged Stomach | Schmidt Ocean Institute

Explaining The Ocean on Instagram: "The gulper eel is one of the strangest deep-sea creatures on Earth. 🌊 With a massive, expandable mouth and a body that can reach up to 6 feet long, it can swallow prey almost as large as itself. Unlike most eels, it doesn’t use sharp teeth to tear food—instead, its balloon-like mouth acts like a trap, engulfing unsuspecting fish, squid, and crustaceans in the pitch-black depths of the ocean. These elusive predators live thousands of feet below the surface, wh