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.
The fish, discovered alive in the deep water off California's central coast by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), is the first specimen of its kind to be found with its soft transparent dome intact.
The 6-inch (15-centimeter) barreleye (Macropinna microstoma) had been known since 1939but only from mangled specimens dragged to the surface by nets.
--Richard A. Lovett
1 comment:
Kate, This is one of the creepiest pictures of a fish I've ever seen. Rates right up there with that half of fish thing we saw floating in the tank at Monteray.
Also, any gray hair. I had my first one about your age.
Later, Mom
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