Within the canals of the sponge, chambers are lined with specialized cells called choanocytes, or collar cells. The scientific term for sponges is Porifera which literally means “pore-bearing.” A sponge is covered with tiny pores, called ostia, which lead internally to a system of canals and eventually out to one or more larger holes, called oscula. A sponge is a bottom-dwelling creature which attaches itself to something solid in a place where it can, hopefully, receive enough food to grow. The gulper eel is found in all of the world's tropical and temperate oceans at depths ranging from 500 to 6,000 feet (about 150 to 1,800 meters).Although they may look plant-like, sponges are the simplest of multi-cellular animals. Many researchers believe that the eels die shortly after reproduction.īecause of the extreme depths at which it lives, most of what we know about the gulper eel comes from specimens that are inadvertently caught in deep sea fishing nets. The large olfactory organs in the males indicates that they may locate their mates through pheromones released by the females. The females, on the other hand, remain relatively unchanged as they mature. We do know that as they mature, the males undergo a change that causes enlargement of the olfactory organs, responsible for the sense of smell, and degeneration of the teeth and jaws. Not much is known about the reproductive habits of the gulper eel. Gulper eels themselves are preyed upon by lancet fish and other deep sea predators. When the eel gulps its prey into its massive jaws, it also takes in a large amount of water, which is then slowly expelled through its gill slits. The gulper eel is also known to feed on cephalopods (squid) and other small invertebrates. The eel can swim into a large groups of shrimp or other crustaceans with its mouth wide open, scooping them up as it goes. The large mouth may be an adaptation to allow the eel to eat a wider variety of prey when food is scarce. Since the eel has very tiny teeth, it probably does not eat large fish on a regular basis. In spite of its gigantic mouth, it is believed that the gulper eel's diet consists mainly of small crustaceans. It is usually black or dark green in color and sometimes has a white line or groove on either side of the dorsal fin. The gulper eel can vary in length from three to six feet (about one to two meters). When the prey is in range, the eel lunges and snaps is up in its gigantic mouth. Since the eel's body is not built for chasing prey, It is believed that the eel uses this light as a fishing lure to attract fish and other creatures close to its enormous mouth. Through a process known as bioluminescence, the photophore glows pink and can give off occasional red flashes. The end of the tail is tipped with a light-producing organ known as a photophore. Specimens that have been brought to the surface in fishing nets have been known to have their long tails tied into several knots. The gulper eel also has a very long, whip-like tail. It is believed that the eyes evolved to detect faint traces of light rather than form images. Unlike many other deep sea creatures, it has very small eyes. Its pectoral fins are so tiny as to be almost nonexistent. The gulper eel is much different in appearance than most other eel species. Artist illustration of a gulper eel showing hinged jaw
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