Mae Chow
The barreleye fish is a deep-sea spook fish that is named so because it has barrel-shaped eyes capped with lenses that are green 😊 The eyes are not the only peculiar thing about this fish 👍 They are known for having a transparent head that fills with fluid and they are able to direct their eyes to see upward and forward 🔥 Also, they have large and flat fins. This was a new species that became well-known in the 2000s. The species is often seen lying still in deep-sea sea waters, thanks to its fins. They do this by turning their green-capped eye upwards to view their jellies and prey. This allows them to feed on small creatures hanging from their tentacles. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute research by marine biologists Kim Reisenbichler, and Bruce Robison shows that their transparent heads with green pigmented eyes filter out sunlight from reaching deep-sea habitat. They favourr the Pacific, Indian, or deep-sea temperatures. Atlantic oceans. They been found off the coastlines of Japan, Baja California, Bering Sea, and other North Pacific waters. [1]
The transparent dome that surrounds the eyes may serve more than one function. The clear dome allows for more light to enter their eyes, which can enhance detection and magnify the power of panoramic vision. The clear head is also said to help protect their eyes from stinging. Itching cells that threaten the barreleyes’ eyes can be found Siphonophores, a type of marine invertebrate that the Barreleye fish “borrow”, their food from the Siphonophores’ tentacles. Although I had said borrow, I had really meant steal. The third, is the ability to see. Fish to see In many directions. Which was the coolest? To search for prey, they can see straight through their heads. The dome’s green lenses are what you see in this image. You can actually see the smell organs in the dark patches that look similar to eyes. They are located just above the adorable little mouth. Russel Laird (from Anshun in China) was able to bring this to our attention. [2]
The specialists at mbari.orgThe half century-old mystery surrounding a fish that had tubular eyes but a transparent head was solved by researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Ever since the “barreleye” fish Macropinna microstoma was first described in 1939, marine biologists have known that it’s tubular eyes are very good at collecting light. However, the eyes were believed to be fixed in place and seemed to provide only a “tunnel-vision” view of whatever was directly above the fish’s head. A new paper by Bruce Robison and Kim Reisenbichler shows that these unusual eyes can rotate within a transparent shield that covers the fish’s head. The transparent shield allows barreleyes to look forward at their prey and backward to determine what they are eating. This was last updated 66 days ago, by Nataline Hartp (Recife Brazil). [3]
You might guess that its common name is its distinctive tubular eyes. It is shaped like tubes. In the deep, being transparent isn’t unusual. Having tubular eyes isn’t new, either. But it wasn’t until deep sea scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) caught one on film that the barreleye’s cool factor went up 100 points (okay scientists don’t rate cool factor…but maybe they should). Scientists observed the fish’s eyes pointing forward…then the eyes rotated upward, so the fish could see what was above it. It’s eyes are like the most awesome periscope system ever! Jacara and Ogden are to be commended for their insight. [4]
Yitzchok Beckman at animalspot.net, describes how barreleye fish is one of nature’s finest creations. The fish is amazing and it’s easy to see why. It has transparent dome-shaped heads. The fish has ultra-sensitive tubular eyes that are covered with a transparent green fluid shield. This helps locate prey above the water, even in pitch darkness. Their two oval-shaped, similar to human nostrils, olfactory glands are often misunderstood as they give them a sad expression. The transparent head has their cylindrical eyes facing up. Their small mouth has a pointed nose and a narrow, sharp jaw. They can float freely thanks to their long flat, flat fins. Barreleye fish possess luminous organs that run the length of their bodies. Latori Woody edited this article on March 17, 2020. [5]
