New photos of the amazing deepwater Barreleye fish

Don’t expect to see this one become available from your LFS any time soon, or ever. The deepwater specialist (and staring contest champion) has two large tubular eyes and transparent dome covering it’s vision. It is believed that this fish makes a living by stealing prey that has been pre-caught by giant colonial jellyfish called siphonophores. The elusive pelagic fish was recently documented by the Monterey Bay Research Institute with a level of clarity that has never been seen before. The fish was documented using a remotely operated vehicle in waters off the coast of California at a depth of about half a mile. Although the species had previously been caught and described, this is the first time that the fish’s fluid filled clear cavity was documented in it’s natural habitat. Props go out to Bruce Robison and Kim Reisenbichler for sharing their wonderful footage of thsi fascinating fish with the world. Read on for more photos and video.

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