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According to evolutionary biologists, it developed such a powerful sense of sight as a result of the harsh environment it lives in.
The fish, which is only a few inches long, lives at great depths just below the line at which sunlight can penetrate the water. The marine biologists also found that it uses its large, flat fins to remain motionless in the water.
This means that creatures around it cannot see it clearly. Predators lurking above it cannot spot it either, however it can look upwards to hunt for the small fish and plankton it lives off.
When a suitable morsel is identified, the barrelfish attacks out of the darkness and swiftly engulfs its prey.
To avoid looking at the sun when it moves into shallower waters, the creature's eyes can rotate to look forward so it can see where it is swimming.
If that was to break, its eyes would become exposed to the sea and the pressure that exists at its natural depths of between 2,000ft and 2,600ft would instantly kill it.