slender snipe eel, deep sea duck, Nemichthys scolopaceusimage credit: montereybayaquarium.org

slender snipe eel, deep sea duck, Nemichthys scolopaceusimage credit: libarynth.org

slender snipe eel, deep sea duck, Nemichthys scolopaceusimage credit: Lea’s UW Photography

slender snipe eel, deep sea duck, Nemichthys scolopaceusimage credit: practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

slender snipe eel, deep sea duck, Nemichthys scolopaceusimage credit: pdx_rains

slender snipe eel, deep sea duck, Nemichthys scolopaceusimage credit: independent.co.uk
Habitat: deep sea
Status: not listed

I love, love, LOVE this guy’s nickname: the deep sea duck. How great is that??

Otherwise known as the Slender Snipe Eel (Nemichthys scolopaceus) though, this bizarre- looking fish only weighs a few ounces but can reach lengths of 5 ft or 1.5 meters.

Besides its bird-like “beak,” the deep sea duck has some other VERY interesting claims to fame:

  • it has more vertebrae in its body than any other animal, around 750.
  • its larvae are shaped like leaves, which actually get smaller before transforming into adults

But the #1 feature of the Slender Snipe Eel is most definitely the fact that its anus has moved forward during its evolution and is now located on its throat.

#winning.