Fish
Fish
Four-eyed Fish
Anableps anableps
The Four-eyed Fish is a remarkable surface-dwelling fish of Trinidad's coastal and brackish waters, its bulging, divided eyes allowing it to see simultaneously above and below the waterline as it swims along the surface.
The Four-eyed Fish is a remarkable surface-dwelling fish of Trinidad's coastal and brackish waters, its bulging, divided eyes allowing it to see simultaneously above and below the waterline as it swims along the surface.
Identification
An elongated fish around 20 to 30 cm long, olive-brown above and pale below, with a flattened head and protruding eyes positioned on top of the head. Each eye is divided by a horizontal band of tissue into an upper and lower portion with separate corneas and different refractive properties, letting the fish focus clearly on both the aerial world above the surface and the aquatic world below at the same time.
Behaviour
Swims at the surface with the upper half of each eye exposed to air, watching for aerial predators such as birds while the lower half scans underwater for prey and threats from below. It feeds on small insects, algae, and organic debris at the water's surface, and often gathers in loose schools in shallow coastal lagoons, brackish creeks, and muddy estuaries.
Status in T&T
Common in shallow coastal and brackish waters across Trinidad, including muddy estuaries and mangrove-fringed lagoons. Not considered threatened. It is protected as native wildlife under the Conservation of Wildlife Act.
