four-eyed fish

American  

Also foureye fish

noun

1. a small, surface-swimming fish, Anableps anableps, inhabiting shallow, muddy streams of Mexico and Central America, having each eye divided, with the upper half adapted for seeing in air and the lower half for seeing in water.

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four-eyed fish British  

noun

1. either of two viviparous tropical American freshwater cyprinodont fishes, Anableps anableps or A. microlepis , that swim at the surface of the water and have half of each eye specialized for seeing in air, the other half for seeing in water

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Example Sentences

Four-eyed fish: A single eye in this species—pictured here—holds two lobes.

From Scientific American

Archerfish and “four-eyed fish” see above and below water simultaneously, processing four images.

From The Guardian

Four-eyed fish gather at the water's surface in Brazil.

From National Geographic

A species called the four-eyed fish climbs onto Brazilian mudflats to feed on insects, Turko notes, and grunion famously come ashore to spawn on California beaches.

From National Geographic

Four-eyed fish skittered over the water, pale as the ghosts of fish, and when quiet, showing only as a pair of bubbly eyes.

From Project Gutenberg