It inspired 20,000 screams under the sea.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water: Scientists have captured the “horrifying and beautiful” barreleye fish in 4K footage for the first time ever.
Known for its translucent, submersible-like head, this six-inch deep-sea denizen is rarely seen as it inhabits the ocean’s twilight and midnight zones, some 2,000 to 2,600 feet underwater.
However, researchers with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) encountered the rare critter on October 22 during an excursion 55 miles off Monterey Canyon aboard the vessel David Packard.
They were reportedly documenting and collecting deep-sea critters using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts when they spotted barreleye fish roughly 1,970 feet down.
The team ended up observing the nautical night terror for 20 minutes so they could film it in HD.
The resultant footage shows the alien-like critter hovering in the depths, its bulbous green eyes clearly visible through its see-through dome.
“It is such an amazing creature, which looks like it was created by an imaginative child,” exclaimed the expedition’s senior scientist Steven Haddock, BBC Wildlife reported. “If you compare historical drawings of trawled specimens, the transparent dome surrounding their eyes has been stripped away. I didn’t even think they were illustrating the same species.”
He added, “So to see it alive with the dome of its ‘cockpit’ intact is a real privilege.”
Up to that point, the MBARI team had only encountered the critter, dubbed Macropinna microstoma, ten times in its 40 years exploring the ocean depths.
Youtube viewers were similarly mesmerized by the sighting with one writing, “that transparent head is unreal — you can actually see its green eyes inside the dome.”
“The transparency of deep-sea critters always amazes me, intrigues me to look closely and examine it, but also kind of icks me at the same time,” said another.
A third dubbed it “beautiful and horrifying, just like the ocean.”
Coincidentally, the barreleye’s transparent noggin isn’t for freaking out unsuspecting viewers.
Rather, this skylight allows the fish to scan the waters above for the shadows of crustaceans, zooplankton and other food items, like the hunting version of a glass-bottom boat tour.
Large fins permit the barreleye to essentially hover in place as it spots and stalks, while the cartoonish peepers can rotate to keep prey in its sights.
Along with providing a view to a krill, the gelatinous cockpit shields the fish’s eyes when it yoinks small crustaceans trapped in jellyfish’s stinging tendrils.
“Macropinna reminds us of the surprising ways that animals have adapted to thrive in the ocean’s midwater,” said Haddock, who hopes this high-definition footage will help them glean more insight into how the barreleyefish’s unique eyes work.
“Deep-sea animals capture the imagination, creating wonder and awe that we hope will inspire stewardship of the largest living space on Earth.”
