21 Amazing Fish With Big Eyes

Telescope Goldfish
Telescope Goldfish

Fishes are beautiful species created by nature and found throughout the world. They are seen in every type of water and as of now 32,000 species are known. Here is the list of the top 21 fish with big eyes in the world.

Fish With Big Eyes

1. Telescope Goldfish

The goldfish is also characterized by a telescope eye because of its unique protruding eyes. The species was first developed in the early 1700s in China, where the trait was referred to as dragon eyes. Except for the eyes, it is similar to the ryukin and fantail.  The body is deep along with long flowing fins, veiled fins, and some with broad or small fins as well. They are seen in different colors such as red, red-and-white, calico, black-and-white, chocolate, blue, lavender, kirin, chocolate-and-blue, and even black coloration. It is also known as Carassius auratus and is similar to the household goldfish.  The species can grow between 4 to inches and the avarage lifespan of telescope goldfish is between  6 to 25 years.

Also Read: Top 10 Ugliest Fishes In The World

Telescope Goldfish
Telescope Goldfish

Image Source: Annie

2. Pufferfish

Pufferfish is also one of the fish with big lips and eyes that are known for their unique characteristic of transforming their body in a split second. As of now, 150 species of puffer fish are known out of which 120 are seen in the warm waters of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans, and the rest 30 species prefer freshwaters. The species vary in size from one-inch-long pygmy puffers and upto two feet long freshwater giant puffers. The skin of Pufferfish is rough and thick and they don’t have scales. The avarage lifespan of pufferfish is upto 10 years.

Pufferfish
Pufferfish

Image Source: Wikimedia

3. Copper rockfish

Copper rockfish also known as copper seaperch are fish species that belong to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It can mostly be seen in the eastern Pacific waters and was originally described in 1844 by the Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist, and Arctic explorer John Richardson with the type locality given as Sitka, Alaska. They differ highly in coloration and sometimes researchers confuse that they are two different fishes. They can reach upto a maximum length of 66 centimeters and the average weight is upto 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds). The avarage lifespan of copper rockfish lives up to 50 years.

Also Read: 10 Different Types of Fish with Big Foreheads

Copper rockfish
Copper rockfish

Image Source: Wikimedia

4. Bigeye fish

Bigeye fish is one of the fish with big eyes which is generally the size of yellowfin but smaller than bluefin. The avarage lifespan of bigeye fish is upto 15 years. The body is long, streamlined along with dark metallic blue on their backs and upper sides. The species is white on its lower sides and belly.  They are mostly seen in the tropical and subtropical areas of the Atlantic but not in the Mediterranean, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. It can grow up to 7.5 feet in length and its avarage wieght is upto 460 pounds. The avarage lifespan of Bigeye fish is upto 15 years.

Bigeye fish
Bigeye fish

Image Source: Wikimedia

5. Spotted Ratfish

Spotted Ratfish are one of the deepest living fishes seen in Monterey Bay.  They are closely related to the sharks and are considered the missing links between the bony and cartilaginous fishes since they have characteristics of both of them. The primary diet includes shrimp, clams, worms, sea stars, and fish. They are most common between 98 to 200 feet and from surface to 3,300 feet in Monterey Bay. The closest relatives are shortnose chimeras or ratfishes which can grow upto 38 inches (1 m) for females and males are a bit smaller. The avarage lifespan of spotted ratfish is upto 20 years.

Spotted Ratfish
Spotted Ratfish

Image Source: Wikimedia

6. Squirrel Fish

Squirrel Fish is one of the fish with big eyes that can be seen at a depth of 590 feet but are more typically found within 100 feet.  The fish species is nocturnal where they will swim over sandy bottoms and seagrass beds at night searching for prey.  It hides during the daytime in the crevices and under ledges within coral reefs to avoid predators. They are mostly seen in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. They also swim throughout the West Indies and the Caribbean.  It can grow upto a length of 24.0 inches, however, the most common length is upto 9.8 inches. The primary diet includes crab larvae, shrimp larvae, and other small crustaceans. The avarage lifespan of Squirrel Fish is between 2 to 4 years.

Squirrel Fish
Squirrel Fish

Image Source: amanderson2

7. Tarpon

Tarpon is believed to have existed in oceans since prehistoric times. It can reach up to 8 feet in length and its avarage wieght is upto 280 pounds. The average lifespan of tarpon is quite large and can survive upto 50 years. The oldest known tarpon in captivity lived upto 63 years old. It is also known as silver king because of its amazing appearance of size and coloration. They range from Virginia to central Brazil in the western Atlantic, along the coast of Africa in the eastern Atlantic, and all through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

Tarpon
Tarpon

8. Horse Eye jack

Horse Eye Jack is also known as Big-Eye Jack and the Horse-Eye Jack because of its unique eye structure. The dietary habits are carnivorous in nature and feed on small fish, shrimps, and tiny invertebrates. They can grow upto 2 feet in length and their average weight is upto 10 lbs. The scientific name of the Horse Eye Jack is Caranx Latusa and belongs to the family Carangidae. The avarage lifespan of horse eye jack is not known but is estimated to be between 25 to 30 years, judging by other Caranx species living around.

Also Read: 10 Different Types Of Jellyfish In The World

Horse Eye jack
Horse Eye jack

Image Source: Wikimedia

9. Squalus clarkae

Squalus clarkae also known as Genie’s Dogfish is a shark species that belongs to the Squalus and is mostly seen in the Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic. They are described in the year 2018 and named in honor of ichthyologist Eugenie Clark. The fish species can grow between 50 cm to 70 cm in length. It is also identified in the regions of the west Florida Slope off of Tampa, Florida to the west side of the head of DeSoto Canyon off Louisiana. It can grow upto 723 mm in length and is seen at a depth between 242 to 613 meters.

Also Read: 16 Different Types of Fish With Big Teeth

Genie's Dogfish
Genie’s Dogfish

Image Source: Twitter

10. Swordfish

Swordfish are also known as broadbills and are one of the most powerful predators in the ocean. It can grow up to 14 feet in length and the average weight is upto 1,400 pounds. The world’s largest recorded Swordfish was over 1,400 pounds and nearly 15 feet long. Both male and female swordfish have a two-tone body that’s darker at the top before fading to light silver for the lower part of the fish. They are mostly seen in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They are an apex predator and very few natural predators and prey on fish and cephalopods.

Also read: 16 Different Types of Fish With Legs

Swordfish
Swordfish

Image Source: Wikimedia

11. Barracudas

Barracudas are fish with big eyes known for their streamlined and torpedo-shaped bodies. They have a unique set of razor-sharp teeth and the lower jaw juts out past the upper jaw and both are filled with dozens of teeth. These fish species like to thrive in the regions of temperate and tropical waters except the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The avarage lifespan of Barracudas is upto 14 years in larger species. The body length is between 60 cm to 165 cm and the average weight is between 6kg to 24kg depending on the species. The primary diet includes piscivores, feeding on many different fish species.

Barracudas
Barracudas

Image Source: Wikimedia

12. Bigeye Tuna

Bigeye tuna is a fish species that belongs to the Scombridae family. The fish species is closely related to the yellow-fin tuna and even it is belived that it evolved from yellow-fin tuna. The body can grow upto 250 cm in length and weigh between 300 to 380 pounds. Talking about appearance, the head is pointed and the eyes are relatively big compared to the body. The primary diet includes mullet, small mackerels, sardines, squid, crustaceans and other small deep-water species. The avarage lifespan of Bigeye Tuna is between 9 to 10 years in the wild.

Bigeye Tuna
Bigeye Tuna

Image Source: Wikimedia

13. Dwarf pufferfish

Dwarf puffers are native to India and mostly seen in the regions of Kerala and southern Karnataka, both part of the Western Ghats mountain range. The primary diet of fish species includes small vertebrates, such as insects, as well as snails and shellfish, however, they also feed on microorganisms when needed. The species lay thier eggs within aquatic plants and the eggs hatch after only 5 days, male species are used to guard them up to the week after the juveniles are born and after that, they start swimming. The average lifespan of Dwarf pufferfish is between 4 to 5 years.

Dwarf pufferfis
Dwarf pufferfis

Image Source: Wikimedia

14. Pearlscale

Pearlscale goldfish is one of the 200 known different species of goldfish. They prefer to thrive in cold water and also like to live in a well-maintained aquarium or an outdoor pond. Talking about the appearance, they have a twin-tailed with very compact bodies and the name comes from its nacreous scales that have raised center outlined with darker pigment. The avarage lifespan of Pearlscale goldfish is between 10 to 15 years and there are few species that can even go to 20 years in exceptional cases. The body length of species is 4 inches in length, however, some of them can be larger in size.

Pearlscale
Pearlscale

Image Source: Wikimedia

15. Celestial eye

The Celestial eye goldfish also known as Choutengan known for its unique telescope eyes which are turned upwards, pupils gazing skyward. The fish species is believed to have appeared as a direct mutation of the Telescope goldfish in the 18th century. It was first documented by the Chinese scroll in the year 1772 where goldfish lacking a dorsal fin and possessing protuberant upturned eyes is depicted. The avarage lifspan of Celestial Eye goldfish is upto 10 years, however, few of them can even reach 20 years in the wild.

Celestial eye
Celestial eye

Image Source: Toshihiro

16. Panda telescope

Panda telescope scientifically known as “Carassius Auratus” is a goldfish species that are active swimmer and digger. They are believed to have originated in Asia mostly in the regions of Japan and China. The avarage lifespan of the Panda telescope is between 10 to 15 years in the wild. This is a variety of fancy goldfish that come with a rounded or egg-shaped body. It is also known for its large and protruding eyes and hence listed as one of the fish with big eyes. The coloration of the panda telescope is very beautiful and they appear in beautiful colors such as red, blue, chocolate, white, tri-color, bi-color and calico.

Panda telescope
Panda telescope

Image Source: Wikimedia

17. Blue Shark

Blue Shark is one of the fish with big eyes named after its striking blue coloration on their backs. The contrast between their white underbelly and dark blue back is called counter-shading, and that helps the camouflaging shark when it used to swim in the open ocean. These sharp species can be seen across all the oceans, up to a depth of 3,280 feet, and can reach up to 12.5 feet long. These fish species will reach maturity by the age of five years old, and until then, juveniles typically stay in pupping areas of the sub-arctic. Blue sharks are also social sharks, and they come together to feed on large schools of prey. Individual sharks will use body language to signal aggression between each other.

Blue Shark
Blue Shark

Image Source: Wikimedia

18. Thresher Shark

Thresher Shark is one of the animals with long tails that belongs to the family Alopiidae, where there are three species such as the common thresher, the bigeye thresher, and the pelagic thresher. The common thresher shark is the largest of all shark species and can grow up to 19 feet in length. The most unique feature of shark species is their whip-like tail, which is primarily used for hunting. It is also one of the fastest predators in the ocean, reaching impressive speeds of up to 22 miles per hour.

Thresher Shark
Thresher Shark

Image Source: Klaus

19. Lemonpeel Angelfish

Lemonpeel angelfish is also among the fish with big eyes and quite abundant in the areas of Australia and New Guinea. The primary diet consists of filamentous algae and occurs in the eastern Philippines, Micronesia, New Guinea, French Polynesia, and the Eastern Indian Ocean. It is also known as the lemonpeel dwarf angelfish or lemon peel angel. It has an average life expectancy of up to 11 years in the wild, and it is very difficult to successfully breed in captivity.

Lemonpeel Angelfish
Lemonpeel Angelfish

Image Source: Francois

20. Narrow-lined puffer

The narrow-lined puffer mainly prefers to thrive in river estuaries, brackish mangrove habitats, coral lagoons, and seagrass beds. Talking about the appearance, it has a large, pillowy body that is predominately milky tan with thin concentric banding from head to tail reminiscent of wood grain. It is believed to have originated in the waters of Australia, Indonesia, and the Central and West Pacific. The body length is up to 31 cm (12.2″) and belongs to the family Tetraodontidae (Arothron). The primary diet includes larger crustaceans and other invertebrates, such as krill, mysis, and artemia.

Narrow-lined puffer
Narrow-lined puffer

Image Source: Wikimedia

21. Norman’s Lampeye Killifish

Norman’s Lampeye Killifish, scientifically known as Poropanchax normani, originated in West Africa and feeds on small flake or pellet, small frozen or live foods. The name of the fish species comes from the coloration of glowing blue around their eyes. The body length of bird species is between 1-2cm (small); however, the maximum is up to 4cm. The average lifespan of Norman’s Lampeye Killifish is up to 3 years in perfect conditions. Males and females can be differentiated based on their physical characteristics, where males tend to have longer and more pointed fins and are also more colourful than their female counterparts.

Norman’s Lampeye Killifish
Norman’s Lampeye Killifish

Image Source: Wikimedia

These are the top 21 fish with big eyes. Kindly share and post your comments.

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