First Look at the Rare Barreleye Fish

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Matt Embrey in News+Opinion

This is the first picture taken of the Macropinna microstoma or “Barrel Eye” fish. This strange little guy has a transparent head so it’s eyes can rotate back and it can see right through it’s “dome” and see what’s going on above.

“Barreleyes typically live near the depth where sunlight from the surface fades to complete blackness. They use their ultra-sensitive tubular eyes to search for the faint silhouettes of prey overhead.”

Scientists have known about ol’ Barrel Eye since 1939, but until 2004 have only seen mangled bodies dragged to the surface by fishing nets. This picture taken in 2004 in the deep water off California’s central coast by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), but was just released yesterday.

Source: Monterey Bay Research Institute

Tags:

fish, nature, ocean

10 Responses to “ First Look at the Rare Barreleye Fish ”

RB

24. Feb, 2009

What’s funny, is that when MSNBC reported on this, the headline was “Weird Fish Can Actually See Through Its Own Transparent Head.”

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Matt Embrey

24. Feb, 2009

@RB That headline is classic!

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Peter Marquardt

02. Mar, 2009

I would not be surprised if this was fake. The video in the original post shows very mechanical movements and the inside of the transparent head is glowing right where the eyes are? really? If anything I believe this is a 3D recreation of the fish, not the real thing.
Convince me that it’s real.

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Craig

03. Mar, 2009

I knew it! I knew there’d be a guy–who knows absolutely nothing about marine biology–sooner or later come around and claim the ubiquitous “fake!” or “photoshopped!”
Classy.

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billtedjimbob

19. Mar, 2009

Fake!!!!! Photoshopped!!!!!!

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- oscar
  
  20. Mar, 2009
  
  NO ITS NOT! G O S H !!!!!!!!
  
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oscar

20. Mar, 2009

oh, well i think it iz real

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cheyenne

22. Mar, 2009

woooooooooooooooooow!! that is the most interesting fih in the world! when i first saw it i thought it was fake! but now……………….. im doing my report in school in it!!!

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Imy

05. Apr, 2009

That looks really wierd, I want to see a real one. lol
But I dont like seeing these comments saying it is photoshopped. I dont know why they are saying that. :S
And this website is really nice! ^^

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05. Mar, 2009

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