Sandpaper Bobtail [Saccopharynx ampullaceus]
Description
Saccopharynx ampullaceus, commonly known as the Sandpaper Bobtail, is a species of deep-sea eel found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They inhabit areas ranging from 700 to 2800 meters deep. The eel has a long, slender body reaching up to 1.6 meters in length, with a large head and wide mouth lined with small, sharp teeth. Its skin has a rough texture, hence the common name 'Sandpaper Bobtail'. The species is largely sedentary, lying in wait for prey to pass by, which it then ambushes and swallows whole.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Mollusks
Mollusca
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Squids, Octopuses, and Cuttlefish
Cephalopoda
|
| Order |
Squids
Teuthida
|
| Family |
Cranchiids
Cranchiidae
|
| Genus |
Sandpaper Bobtail
Sandalops
|