A Wonderfully Eerie Compilation of Deep Sea Creatures With Unusual Eyes

In October 2013, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) put together a wonderfully eerie compilation of deep sea creatures, each of whom had a pair of big, beautiful and/or unusual eyes.

In order of appearance: Glass squid, owlfish, vampire squid, rattail fish, longnose skate, crystal amphipod (with orange compound eyes), spot prawn, barreleye fish (with green tubular eyes), slickhead fish, sea toad fish, Dover sole, swordtail squid, shiny loosejaw fish, eight-armed squid and Ray Troll’s ratfish.

More recently, MBARI posted glorious footage of a Stygiomedusa gigantea (giant jellyfish), a “ghostly critter from the deep sea“.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.