Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have just solved a mystery spanning 50-years.
The mystery involves the Barreleye Fish, members of the central California species Macropinna microstoma. The transparent fish have fully transparent skulls filled with a fluid that allows the fish to have complete, 360-degree vision.
Scientists have, in fact, discovered that that the neon green, bulbous eyes inside their see-through heads are able to rotate fully, refuting previous claims that their eyes were stuck in “tunnel vision.”
The Barreleye Fish was initially discovered back in 1939, but the transparent nature of the fish wasn’t known at the time. The fish had been caught in nets before but the see through part is destroyed when the fish dies. The eyes on the fish are unique, facing upwards, so it was thought that it couldn’t see in front of itself.
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