Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Fish With Transparent Head, Swiveling Barrel-Eyes: The Video

"FIRST PHOTOS: Weird Fish With Transparent Head"
National Geographic (February 23, 2009)
with video (1:56) (© 2009 National Geographic; Video courtesy Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)

"February 23, 2009--With a head like a fighter-plane cockpit, a Pacific barreleye fish shows off its highly sensitive, barrel-like eyes--topped by green, orblike lenses--in a picture released today but taken in 2004...."


(from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, via National Geographic, used w/o permission)

That's one odd fish. The video's narration explains that the green shapes in its head are pupils of its eyes. This is the first barreleye, or Macropinna microstoma, that's been seen alive, and all in one piece.

More at:

2 comments:

Brigid said...

Odd and down right freaky.

Where did you say the eyes were, again?

Brian H. Gill said...

Brigid,

That pair of green spheroids inside its head are the pupils of its eyes. They're looking up in the photo.

It's a bit easier to see the optic structures in the video, as the fish swims around.

Freaky? Yeah, I can go with that.

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