Comments on: Strange New Fish May See Like Humans

Strange New Fish May See Like Humans

chuckdarwin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:35:24 -0800

A fish with forward facing eyes has been discovered in Indonesia.

University of Washington fish expert Ted Pietsch thinks that the fish is probably a member of a previously undiscovered family of lure-less anglerfish.

By: Kirth Gerson

Kirth Gerson — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:45:51 -0800

Interesting. However, my favorite weird-eyed fish is much more common.

By: three blind mice

three blind mice — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:49:03 -0800

Awesome. But as much as I enjoy it when a new species is discovered, one can't help but feel a bit sorry for it. For most species the benefits derived from being "discovered" by man are exceedingly few.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:52:06 -0800

Hmm... I wonder how it's best prepared: mesquite grilled, blackened, baked, breaded and fried? At any rate, should definitely be served face up.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:52:37 -0800

Or, what three blind mice said.

By: pjern

pjern — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:55:21 -0800

That fish just looks....wrong.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:56:50 -0800

Eponysterical!

By: Jofus

Jofus — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:01:15 -0800

Speaking as a marine biologist, my considered opinion is: Kill it with fire.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:07:03 -0800

Eponysterical! Just trying to live up to the name. Flapjax is our music man, so it's down to me to drop some science when I can.

By: surfdad

surfdad — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:08:58 -0800

What, just the two eyes?

By: Henry C. Mabuse

Henry C. Mabuse — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:11:49 -0800

ugh, filthy vertebrate

By: Reverend Mykeru

Reverend Mykeru — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:18:41 -0800

I, for one welcome our new...

By: DU

DU — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:31:05 -0800

For most species the benefits derived from being "discovered" by man are exceedingly few. I agree. It's much better all around if we are oblivious when we wipe out its habitat. Well, better for us anyway.

By: pjern

pjern — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:54:03 -0800

But the crucial question here is will it fit in quonsar's pants?

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:03:27 -0800

...Uncle, is that you?

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:06:41 -0800

That should facilitate its ability to leap from branch to branch.

By: sgt.serenity

sgt.serenity — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:13:00 -0800

poor wee fish, looking like my mums old photo of her in a kaftan (thats hidden in a sealed underground vault somewhere) - plus just emerging from the pants of konse, no wonder he's looking upset.

By: Fuzzy Skinner

Fuzzy Skinner — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:20:46 -0800

Any relation?

By: the littlest brussels sprout

the littlest brussels sprout — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:24:33 -0800

*click* "Hmm, I don't see its-- AAAAAGGH!" Thank you in advance for the nightmares.

By: three blind mice

three blind mice — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:38:25 -0800

It's much better all around if we are oblivious when we wipe out its habitat. Well, better for us anyway. It's always better for us. The discovery of new fauna is just the first step in planning a new industrial complex. Those silly liberals might delay things for a while, but the end is always the same. Better to remain undiscovered, unmolested, and uninteresting in any way at all to man.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:49:33 -0800

...but has eyes facing forward that may allow it to asses depth. **stifling giggle** Nice catch. First thing I thought: wow, neat-looking fish, pretty. Second thing: wonder how it tastes?

By: DU

DU — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:54:46 -0800

Those silly liberals might delay things for a while, but the end is always the same. That's the spirit! Better to remain undiscovered, unmolested, and uninteresting in any way at all to man. This is unprovable. How many undiscovered species have we wiped out without even knowing? Maybe the survival rate among the discovered is actually higher. It's impossible to know, since we by definition don't know anything about undiscovered species.

By: kuujjuarapik

kuujjuarapik — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:56:02 -0800

The discovery of new fauna is just the first step in planning a new industrial complex. From a commercial fisheries standpoint, unless that fish has a great meaty tail like a monkfish, it really doesn't look like the meat it would yield would be worth the cost of prying it from it's reef habitat. Unless it is crazy delicious and is the rage in NYC or Tokyo, or it produces some beneficial and lucrative compound, my guess is that it's safe from fishing.

By: chococat

chococat — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:11:27 -0800

A fish with forward facing eyes has been discovered in Indonesia. ...and they only took one picture of it.

By: Jofus

Jofus — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:12:39 -0800

I am not sorry for this.

By: WalterMitty

WalterMitty — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:19:53 -0800

No NOM NOM NOM? Oh well

By: bwg

bwg — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:35:41 -0800

Another one: a big eyed fish, Yeah, swimming in the sea, Oh, how he dreamed. He wants to be a bird, Swooping, diving through the breeze. One day, he caught a big blue wave, Up onto the beach, And now he's dead. You see, a fish's dream, Should stay in the sea.

By: three blind mice

three blind mice — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:40:29 -0800

This is unprovable. You place your bets and I'll place mine.

By: saulgoodman

saulgoodman — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:26:23 -0800

Don't you see what this means? They're evolving! This thing has a face, a backbone, and can even walk with its pectoral fins--at this rate of adaptation, the fish-men will be coming for us within another decade or so! Vengeance from the deep, that's what this is... Be very afraid.

By: mkultra

mkultra — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:55:30 -0800

dire omen

By: 23skidoo

23skidoo — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:12:55 -0800

Fish with forward facing eyes just don't look right.

By: thebellafonte

thebellafonte — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:40:46 -0800

Once, on a schoolbus to North Dakota, my theatrical friend, Mac, kept me entertained by telling me the plot of a movie in his head, which he called River City Jubilee. It's based in his hometown of Maysville, Kentucky, where there is an annual festival by the same name. In the movie, some naughty corporation has been dumping toxic waste in the nearby river, and one day, during the festival, these fish fucking sprout legs, walk up out of the river, and start taking control of the city (and soon- the world!) Samuel L. Jackson plays the town mayor (who has such predictably wonderful line opportunities as "something smells fishy" and "son of a bitch, I'm sick of these fish.") Kevin Spacey comes in as that one scientist from out of town that knew what was going down and tried to warn everybody and you should have listened to him. Mayor Jackson is determined to send these fish "back to the hell from wence they came from" and he and Scientist Spacey team up and kick ass. Sexual tension mounts between the scientist and the mayor's daughter, played by Alicia Keys (?). The surviving townspeople have fled to the sewers for safety, where the tension between Kevin Spacey and Alicia Keys reaches its peek; they do it right there in the sewer while Jennifer Paige's 1992 hit "Crush" plays. Long story short, they save the town from the fish monsters. And the scientist marries the mayor's daughter, and the whole gang is gathered at the wedding reception and this rotund chef comes up with a silver tray and asks, "Chicken...or...... FISH?" Everyone looks nervously at one another for a few beats, and then they all start laughing. Roll credits. Mac says it's like Erin Brockovich meets Men in Black.

By: salishsea

salishsea — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:51:26 -0800

This is unprovable. How many undiscovered species have we wiped out without even knowing? 57. I love rhetorical questions. (This comment written by a fish with forward facing eyes...a few hundred million years removed)

By: Sticherbeast

Sticherbeast — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:00:53 -0800

It looks like the Oogie Boogie Man. I love it. I love it very much.

By: Shfishp

Shfishp — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:18:44 -0800

Documentation of fish with forward facing eyes has been around since at least 1983. HERE'S PROOF!

By: johnj

johnj — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:02:12 -0800

I wonder what it would be like to live on a planet, excedingly rich in complex life-forms, some intellegent, and not be known to them, at all. Rather nice, I suspect.

By: The Power Nap

The Power Nap — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:15:01 -0800

Looks like a Jim Henson creation. I half expect it to start telling me how to spell or break out in song. Ma na Ma na, duh DUH daduhduh... Ma na Ma na, duh DUh DA DUH...

By: quin

quin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:27:25 -0800

Maybe I'm not understanding the significance of this, but haven't we known about fish with forward facing eyes for ever?

By: Guy_Inamonkeysuit

Guy_Inamonkeysuit — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:08:56 -0800

So, thebellafonte -- did you or your buddy ever see The Host?

By: Citizen Premier

Citizen Premier — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:16:58 -0800

God made them that way. I know it might seem weird but its god's creation.

By: bettafish

bettafish — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:35:06 -0800

In all honesty, those eyes don't really look all that forward-facing compared to any other fish with round faces. Maybe clearer pictures would help? Still, new species of anglerfish ftw!

By: kosher_jenny

kosher_jenny — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:17:13 -0800

(( *_* ))

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:48:52 -0800

Nice to see they're finally paying attention.

By: kisch mokusch

kisch mokusch — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:26:56 -0800

Ah, to be in marine biology, where N=1 is enough for the discovery of a whole new family of fish, with media coverage no less!

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:43:59 -0800

The better to watch 3D movies with! James Cameron has a whole new market to aim for (or at).

By: humannaire

humannaire — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:15:06 -0800

Good picture, but as to the idea that this is remarkable.... blobfish anglerfish barreleyes ....and while not actually a fish, the box jellyfish at least gets points for impersonation of both attributes (human-like eyes, fish-like creature).... ....anyhow, here's another picture/take on the frogfish from the fpp.

By: kosher_jenny

kosher_jenny — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:10:36 -0800

...and while not actually a fish, the box jellyfish at least gets points for impersonation of both attributes (human-like eyes, fish-like creature).... That is much more disturbing-looking than I expected. It looks like a transparent Zoidberg! And I don't think blobfish will ever stop looking freaky to me.

By: thebellafonte

thebellafonte — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:29:00 -0800

Actually Guy_Inamonkeysuit, I did see The Host, shortly after it came out on video-- it was promptly forgettable. The trailer makes it look freaking great though. I will recommend it to my friend, now that you mention it.