Very
little light reaches the dark depths of the ocean. Consequently we see
many adaptions regarding light among deep-sea organisms, from extreme
sensitivity to bio-luminescence. But as strange as they can seem, the
barreleye fish blows them all away - it has evolved to see through its
own head.
The green orbs you see are its eyes, which spend most of their time gazing upwards through its transpa
rent
"forehead" for prey. This "forehead" is actually a fluid-filled sack.
When it spots something it likes, it rotates them forward so its field
of vision and mouth are now aligned to hunt. Until 2009 it was thought
that these eyes were fixed staring upwards, but finding a live specimen
revealed their mobility.
The two spots you can see near the
mouth are called nares, which the barreleye uses to filter the water for
chemical traces. In addition to the stunning head adaptation, the
yellow pigment of the eyes help the barreleye distinguish between
sunlight from the surface and light coming from bio-luminiscent fish. A
fascinating example of evolution indeed.
Photo credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Very
little light reaches the dark depths of the ocean. Consequently we see
many adaptions regarding light among deep-sea organisms, from extreme
sensitivity to bio-luminescence. But as strange as they can seem, the
barreleye fish blows them all away - it has evolved to see through its
own head.
The green orbs you see are its eyes, which spend most of their time gazing upwards through its transpa
The green orbs you see are its eyes, which spend most of their time gazing upwards through its transpa
rent
"forehead" for prey. This "forehead" is actually a fluid-filled sack.
When it spots something it likes, it rotates them forward so its field
of vision and mouth are now aligned to hunt. Until 2009 it was thought
that these eyes were fixed staring upwards, but finding a live specimen
revealed their mobility.
The two spots you can see near the mouth are called nares, which the barreleye uses to filter the water for chemical traces. In addition to the stunning head adaptation, the yellow pigment of the eyes help the barreleye distinguish between sunlight from the surface and light coming from bio-luminiscent fish. A fascinating example of evolution indeed.
Photo credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
The two spots you can see near the mouth are called nares, which the barreleye uses to filter the water for chemical traces. In addition to the stunning head adaptation, the yellow pigment of the eyes help the barreleye distinguish between sunlight from the surface and light coming from bio-luminiscent fish. A fascinating example of evolution indeed.
Photo credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
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