My "Wow" moment of the day

[Red Kittie Kat]

http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2009/barreleye/barreleye.html


The fish with a transparent head:

what you think are eyes is the nose and the eyes are behind the nose (the big greenish balls)

http://i42.tinypic.com/2m5ntle.jpg


Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute recently solved the half-century-old mystery of a fish with tubular eyes and a transparent head. Ever since the "barreleye" fish Macropinna microstoma was first described in 1939, marine biologists have known that its tubular eyes are very good at collecting light. However, the eyes were believed to be fixed in place and seemed to provide only a "tunnel-vision" view of whatever was directly above the fish's head. A new paper by Bruce Robison and Kim Reisenbichler shows that these unusual eyes can rotate within a transparent shield that covers the fish's head. This allows the barreleye to peer up at potential prey or focus forward to see what it is eating.


Make sure you watch the video

[tuliptree]

How freaky! I wonder what made it evolve like that? What is the benefit of a transparent head? Besides me getting to say "ooooooh!" :D Really strangely cool!

[Typically]

i want one!!!

[Bladez]

Wonder how it tastes.....Maybe a "Light Fishy" flavour?

[MikeHun]

The adaptation of the clear canopy is to stop the stingers of jelly fish semifores.
The stingers hold the fish's prey and it keeps it from blinding it's eyes.

[MikeHun]

Yes, holy moly WOW!!! That is out of this world.

[a_muse]

Oh wow, that's amazing!
Ya, why would it be transparent? Maybe to blend in with it's surroundings a bit.....just very cool.

ETA- Ohhhh thanks Mike! I should've watched the video I guess :)

[Audentia]

This is so cool and now I want one as a pet!

[tuliptree]

Hee! What would you name it Audentia?

The adaptation of the clear canopy is to stop the stingers of jelly fish semifores.
The stingers hold the fish's prey and it keeps it from blinding it's eyes.

Did you know this on your own? Or did you look it up? Either way, t'anks! Very cool!

[erichmond]

how kewl! How deep? I scuba dive and I haven't seen one of those yet, maybe I'm just to shallow for Macropinna microstoma :D

[Audentia]

Transy. Cause he's transparent and I'm unoriginal today.

[Bladez]

how kewl! How deep? I scuba dive and I haven't seen one of those yet, maybe I'm just to shallow for Macropinna microstoma :D


I think it said they're at like 2000-3000 feet deep....it mentions it in the article, but I can't quite remember if that's correct....

[Bladez]

Transy. Cause he's transparent and I'm unoriginal today.

http://nymeria87.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/facepalm1.jpg

[erichmond]

I think it said they're at like 2000-3000 feet deep....it mentions it in the article, but I can't quite remember if that's correct....
yep at that depth I'd be dead and I wont die for one yet, I'll stay shallow for now

[MikeHun]

No problemo... Just went to the web site and did a little research.

I've always wanted to pursue a professional trivia contestant life:D


Hee! What would you name it Audentia?



Did you know this on your own? Or did you look it up? Either way, t'anks! Very cool!

[budafist]

Tranny would be a better name than Transy ;)

When I see stuff like this, I don't feel like we evolved from fish. I feel like fish evolved from us.

[Broacher]

Tranny would be a better name than Transy ;)

When I see stuff like this, I don't feel like we evolved from fish. I feel like fish evolved from us.

Check out our sperm duct plumbing plan though.

Oh, and hiccups. Living proof of our icthyo-ancestry.

[seamas]

While that fish is a recent discovery for scientists, you just KNOW that it has been served as sashimi in Tokyo restaurants for ages.

[Audentia]

buda - funny Bladez and I were discussed that Tranny would be a much better name at the mall last night before I saw your post! :)

Maybe we should all stop eating sushi (except that it is super yummy) and teach ourselves "Fish are friends not food" so that they don't all start to attack us in our sleep.

[Typically]

my cats would take out the fish before the could get to me :D

[WannaBrie]

whoa! freaky fish! No need for xrays there!

[doctorfoz]

evolution... it's always about evolution.

from fish, to this:
http://www.wists.com/thumbnails/e/1f/e1facc56188e0336cfe9792f5e35a5dc-orig

[Red Kittie Kat]

Geez that scared me for a second :D

[garricks]

Why? It's just a mumfish! ;)

[budafist]

Geez that scared me for a second :D

I'm still scared. How did you get over it?

[Red Kittie Kat]

There was no one to hold me so..... I held myself



:D

[Bladez]

There was no one to hold me so..... I held myself



:D

.....

.....

To easy!!!!

[Yossarian]

Many have probably already seen this, but I think it deserves posting here. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN1VcgRrEM8

[Red Kittie Kat]

awww that is so cute ... It's amazing she loves being in the water like that ... Thanks Yoss :D

[morea]

I had seen it... but it was worth seeing again. :D

[doctorfoz]

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x308/doctorfoz/cat.jpg

[Red Kittie Kat]

lmao :D