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"Description" Section Contribution

While typically in a folded state, the pelican eel's mouth has the capacity to change to an inflated shape when hunting, giving the mouth it's notably massive appearance. This transformation is possible due to the dual-mode biological morphing mechanism that takes place: geometric unfolding of the mouth followed by stretching. When the pelican eel is in pursuit of prey and opens its mouth, the head and jaw structure unfold and spread horizontally, This un-spreading event is followed by the inflation of the mouth. The inflation is made possible given the highly stretchable skin of the head, an additional characteristic that enables the eel to partake in this mechanism and engage in lunge feeding to consume large amounts of prey.

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