Undulating Cutthroat Eels Show Off Wide Jaws

While exploring an unnamed Seamount in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM), ROV Hercules came across these cutthroat eels. Synaphobranchid eels are detritivores that eat organic matter (such as dead fish or invertebrates) that falls to the ocean floor from higher up in the water column.These deep-water dwellers communicate using low electric organ discharges. Watch these wide-jawed fish undulate along the ocean floor and give our control van a quick glimpse into their lives.

Managers of PRIMNM are keen to share what’s beneath the surface of the Pacific with the public so we can all learn and appreciate all that is being protected and conserved within the Monument. Learn more about this expedition funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.