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RARE footage of a bizarre fish with a see-through head has been revealed by researchers - and it's pretty spooky.

The alien-like creature was recently spotted on a deep sea mission in Monterey Bay off the coast of California.

Scientists captured rare footage of this creepy barreleye fish
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Scientists captured rare footage of this creepy barreleye fishCredit: YouTube / MBARI
It's see-through head helps it look directly above for prey
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It's see-through head helps it look directly above for preyCredit: YouTube / MBARI

was released by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).

It was captured using a remote-operated vehicle in the "twilight depths" of the ocean.

That's around 2,000 to 2,600 feet deep.

What you're looking at is a creature called a barreleye fish.

They can grow up to six inches long and hunt for prey in darkness.

That's why their eyes are so big.

The MBARI : "MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles Ventana and Doc Ricketts have logged more than 5,600 successful dives and recorded more than 27,600 hours of video—yet we’ve only encountered this fish nine times!

"The barreleye lives in the ocean’s twilight zone, at depths of 600 to 800 meters (2,000 to 2,600 feet).

"Its eyes look upwards to spot its favorite prey—usually small crustaceans trapped in the tentacles of siphonophores—from the shadows they cast in the faint shimmer of sunlight from above.

"But how does this fish eat when its eyes point upward and its mouth points forward? MBARI researchers learned the barreleye can rotate its eyes beneath that dome of transparent tissue."

The barreleye fish was likely on the hunt for the same jellyfish the researchers were also on the lookout for.

The fish can grow up to six inches long
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The fish can grow up to six inches longCredit: YouTube / MBARI

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