Fish
Cutthroat Eel
Synaphobranchidae · also called shorttail eel
Named for a single fused slit across its throat where most fish have two separate gill openings, a cutthroat eel ranges from continental slopes down to some of the deepest abyssal trenches on Earth, tracking carrion by scent across the food-scarce seafloor.
Overview
The cutthroat eel, family Synaphobranchidae, is an elongated deep-sea fish native to ocean habitat recorded across every major ocean basin worldwide. Its distinctively fused gill openings, unusually broad depth range spanning continental slopes to abyssal trenches, and keen scent-based foraging make it one of the more widely distributed and ecologically adaptable eel families found anywhere in the ocean.
A single slit where most fish have two
The fused gill opening that gives the cutthroat eel its name is a small anatomical detail with an outsized effect on the family’s common identity, setting it apart at a glance from the two separate gill slits found in most other eel-like fish.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across its broad range of ocean habitat worldwide.
Cutthroat Eel: common questions
Why is it called the cutthroat eel?
This family has its two gill openings fused together into a single slit across the underside of the throat, a distinctive and somewhat unsettling feature that gave the group its common name.
How deep can cutthroat eels be found?
This family includes species recorded from relatively moderate continental slope depths down to some of the deepest abyssal trenches known, giving it one of the broader depth ranges among deep-sea eel families.
How does the cutthroat eel find food in the deep sea?
This family relies heavily on a keen sense of smell to detect carrion and other food sources scattered across the largely food-scarce deep seafloor, an important adaptation given how sparse meals can be at such depth.
Are all cutthroat eels slow, bottom-dwelling fish?
Not entirely, some species within this family are capable of covering considerable distances in open water, unlike many other bottom-dwelling deep-sea eels that remain closely tied to the seafloor.