The Pacific barreleye fish (Macropinna microstoma) has been known since 1939, but trawled up specimens were in poor condition and did not reveal the fish’s weirdest characteristic—a transparent head. So, why does the Pacific barreleye fish have a translucent head? According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), “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. This allows the barreleye to peer up at potential prey or focus forward to see what it is eating.”
The Research Institute also described other weird adaptations of these fish, such as their flat fins, small mouths, and “their digestive systems are very large, which suggests that they can eat a variety of small drifting animals as well as jellies.”
Video: Macropinna microstoma: A deep-sea fish with a transparent head and tubular eyes:
Images: © 2004 MBARI
On the Net: MBARI News Release – Researchers solve mystery of deep-sea fish with tubular eyes and transparent head
[*]B. H. Robison and K. R. Reisenbichler. Macropinna microstoma and the paradox of its tubular eyes. Copeia. 2008, No. 4, December 18, 2008
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Now that’s a cute fish. I want a fish like that in my aquarium. It would have looked a bit more cool if its body was translucent as well. I just hope scientists would not be ogging for this fishies and start to perform experiments on it.
@ Andrew: But putting him in your fish tank is cool? Talk about having it backwards. Whenever someone says something like that there is always someone that hears a cash register in their head and tries to figure out the easiest way to exploit it.
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Hi,
- this is only 3d computerized fish model…
Thanks.
that is cool..i wonder if a human can have a head like that??