Barreleye Fish

deep sea · weird fish · ocean mystery

See-through head. The barreleye fish has a transparent head that lets you see straight through to its brain and eyes. This amazing see-through feature helps scientists study how this fish works without opening it up.

Tubular super-eyes. Instead of regular round eyes, barreleyes have long, tube-shaped eyes that point upward into the water. This design helps them spot the silhouettes of prey swimming above them in the dim deep-sea light.

Lives in the deep dark. Barreleyes live thousands of feet below the ocean surface where almost no sunlight reaches. They roam the twilight zone of the ocean, hunting for tiny creatures in the darkness.

Found worldwide underwater. These mysterious fish live in oceans around the world, from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. They prefer tropical and temperate waters but stay hidden in the deep where few humans ever see them.

Tiny ocean dwellers. Barreleyes are small fish, usually only a few inches long, making them easy to miss even when scientists study them. Their small size helps them survive on the tiny creatures they find in the deep sea.