The whiptail gulper, Saccopharynx lavenbergi, lives in the deep midwater to depths of 3,000 meters (nearly 10,000 feet). Its oversized jaws and stomach allow it to capture prey and swallow it whole. The gulper eel's adaptations make it a very successful deepsea predator. Using MBARI's remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), we've only seen this species six times and others in the group less than twenty times in 30 years of exploration in the deep midwater. Despite its rare appearance, this quintessential deepsea fish is featured in MBARI's logo.

For more information, see the MBARI 2017 Annual Report: annualreport.mbari.org/2017/midwater