Something fishy? Bizarre four-eyed creature baffles experts after being reeled in by an angler in Australia

  • Bizarre four-eyed fish was caught by fisherman in Darwin's Buffalo Creek
  • Simon Merefield took to social media to identify the creature
  • Experts have debated what species the creature belongs to 

By Nelson Groom for Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

A bizarre four-eyed fish has baffled scientists after being caught by a fisherman in the Northern Territory.

The bizarre specimen, which has a set of eyes on the front of its head as well as the side, bears a striking resemblance to 'Blinky' the radioactive fish from the Simpsons.

Simon Merefield took to social media to unravel the mystery of the creature, caught in Darwin's Buffalo Creek, before scientists debated exactly what it was.

A bizarre four-eyed fish caught by a baffled fisherman in the Northern Territory

A bizarre four-eyed fish caught by a baffled fisherman in the Northern Territory

'I must admit they look like nostrils in this photo but we're certain they were eyes…It winked at us,' Mr Merefield wrote on Facebook.

Some commenters speculated whether the fish had developed false eyes to help catching prey, while others suggested the fish was deformed. 

The photograph has divided experts, with some declaring it's a pufferfish and others arguing it was something else entirely, according to NTNews. 

'It is a pufferfish of the tetradontid family,' wrote a NT Government Fisheries Department spokesperson.

A terrifying deep sea creature with dozens of needle-like teeth pulled ashore in Victoria

A terrifying deep sea creature with dozens of needle-like teeth pulled ashore in Victoria

Another frightening creature which looked like a cross between a crocodile and a dolphin washed up on Lake Macquarie, NSW

Another frightening creature which looked like a cross between a crocodile and a dolphin washed up on Lake Macquarie, NSW

'Pufferfish don't look like that, and colours are a bit brighter on a pufferfish. It's usually all white on the bottom with yellow on the face. It's got to be a toadfish - or maybe even a monkey fish,' said Fishing and Outdoor World's Alex Patsalides.

It's not the first mysterious creature to be reeled in off Australia's coast.

Earlier this year a terrifying deep sea creature with dozens of needle-like teeth was pulled ashore in Victoria.

That same week another frightening creature which looked like a cross between a crocodile and a dolphin washed up on Lake Macquarie, NSW.


 

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