barreleye

[ bar-uhl-ahy ]

noun

, plural bar·rel·eyes.

1. any of the bathypelagic fishes of the family Opisthoproctidae, especially Macropinna microstoma, having telescoping eyes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of barreleye¹

barrel + eye

Example Sentences

It’s reminiscent of the barreleye fish, another creature found deep in the ocean, which has nostrils that look like eyes.

From National Geographic

We see the barreleye fish, whose eyes extend from its head on tubes, Anableps anableps, a fish with four eyes, and the mantis fish whose color vision is so acute, Dr. Knowlton writes, that it makes what we see look like it is “practically in black and white.”

From New York Times