A group of scientists currently exploring parts of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument near Hawaii stumbled on a strange little creature late last month, and they weren’t exactly sure what to make of it.
As it happens, acclaimed oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard and his team have made a handful of viral discoveries as they explore vast stretches of unexplored ocean on the E/V Nautilus – from a googly-eyed squid that looks like it came straight from a cartoon to a mysterious purple blob. Their most recent find? An eel that inflates its jowls to catch its prey.
“It looks like a muppet,” said one of the scientists.
“Is it engorged, or is it… like that?” asked another.
The team posted a video of the creature, a gulper eel, on their website along with a more detailed explanation. The video has since been viewed over 2 million times.
“Big gulp!” the site explains. “The Nautilus team spotted a gulper eel (Eurypharynx pelecanoides) doing just that in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Its pouch-like mouth can inflate in an instant, scooping up much larger prey just like a pelican, and giving it that muppet-like look! This gulper eel was likely a juvenile, as this species can grow up to three feet in length.”
The creature is pretty crazy to look at, but what makes the video even better is the commentary from the scientists.
