Mysterious deep-sea fish with eerie appearance captured on camera during research expedition

An incredibly rare deep-sea fish with an eerie transparent head was documented on a recent research mission done by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) about 55 miles offshore of California. 

This fish, called a barreleye fish (Macropinna Microstoma), lives in the ocean’s twilight zone, scanning the waters above for the silhouettes of prey. It has tubular eyes beneath a transparent head that keep prey in sight after finding its next meal. 

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The gelatinous shield over its greenish-yellow eyes also protects the fish’s eyes when plucking small crustaceans caught in the stinging tentacles of deep-sea siphonophores, the MBARI said. 

Large fins keep the fish stable and help it move into place, as its eyes focus on the water above. 

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The MBARI was on an eight-day mission to study gelatinous animals like jellies, siphonophores and ctenophores through a combination of blue-water scuba diving near the surface of the water and deep-sea ROV surveys hundreds of meters beneath the surface. 

The mission was to help understand how gelatinous animals have adapted to life in the deep water column. 

On the day they found the barreleye fish, MBARI said its submersible pilots were sending their ROV "Doc Ricketts" back to the surface for recovery, when Research Specialist Shannon Johnson yelled out for them to stop 1,970 feet underwater. 

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MBARI said most of the science team had relocated to the ship’s wet lab to prepare to catalog the incoming specimens from the ROV when they heard Johnson calling and came running back into the control room. 

"The sighting of a barreleye fish was an exhilarating surprise, capping off a long and productive week of deep-sea research," MBARI said. 

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The expedition team spent 20 minutes watching the fish using a high-resolution 4K camera on ROV Doc Ricketts to get a closer look at the animal’s body and behavior. 

They used different lighting to highlight the fish’s unique transparent head shield. 

One of the ROV pilots/technicians was able to drive the Doc Ricketts close enough to record the fish with the vehicle’s VR camera, capturing 3D imagery that can contribute to future education and outreach efforts, MBARI said. 

"Macropinna reminds us of the surprising ways that animals have adapted to thrive in the ocean’s midwater," said Senior Scientist Steven Haddock. "So many of them survive by looking for subtle optical cues, like a shadow passing overhead, and this sets off evolutionary competition, pitting bioluminescent camouflage against increasingly sophisticated visual capabilities."

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In the almost 40 years of MBARI's ocean exploration missions, they've completed 7,000 ROV dives, recorded 41,000 hours of deep-sea video, and yet they've only encountered a barreleye fish 11 times. 

MBARI said the last time a barreleye was documented on one of their missions was in 2021. 

The record of the barreleye is the first time MBARI was able to get the creature on 4K video, and on their newest research vessel. 

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"Seeing a barreleye fish is a rare treat. Crew from across the ship joined the science team in the control room, mesmerized by this remarkable animal. Deep-sea animals capture the imagination, creating wonder and awe that we hope will inspire stewardship of the largest living space on Earth," said Haddock.

Learn more about the barreleye on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute's website.