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.