Mother nature had may surprises in all shapes and sizes. Our planet is filled with those miracles that are the result of unimaginable evolutions.
Animal kingdom also have a lot of miracles beneath its sleeves, one of those miracles are transparent animals that can be found throughout the planet in a variety of different ecosystems, from deep in the sea to high in the sky. These animals look as though they’re made of glass because you can see-through them.
Nature made these transparent animals this way because it helps them to expertly camouflage and hide from predators, although the highlighted mechanisms and purposes behind their transparency is still not fully discovered. Either way, they’re fascinating to say the least!
#1. Salpa Maggiore
Source: Conaugh Fraser/Caters
This translucent shrimp-like creature was discovered by a New Zealand fisherman. Scientists believe that it could be a planktonic tunicate, the Salpa maggiore (Salpa maxima), which moves by pumping water through its gelatinous body.
#2. Pacific Barreleye
Source: kienthuc.net.vn
Yes, you can inside this Pacific Barreleye’s head and yes, that is its brain. This deep sea fish can swivel and rotate its telescopic “eyes,” which are actually sensory organs. Its real eyes are are inside of its forehead.
#3. Glass Frog
Source: Heidi & Hans-Juergen Koch
Native to the Venezuelan rainforest, the glass frog’s internal organs can be viewed from the outside, which some scientists believe helps them regulate their organ functioning.
They mostly live in trees and are most diverse in the cloud forests of Central and South America.
#4. Larval Flounder
Source: Chris Newbert/Minden Pictures
This flounder is not a unique species, but rather in its larval state, giving it a ghostly appearance. Flounders are found lying on the bottom of ocean floors, where they use camouflage to hide from predators.
#5. Hydromedusa
Source: Ingo Arndt/Minden Pictures
A hydromedusa spreads its luminescent tentacles in the Weddell Sea near Antarctica.
#6. Juvenile Roundbelly Cowfish
Source: Chris Newbert/Minden Pictures
Found abundantly in the waters surrounding Japan and rarely near Hawaii, cowfish (also known as the “transparent boxfish”) have two short horns above their eyes and have nearly transparent lower portions of their heads and bodies.
#7. Glasswing Butterfly
Source: flickr.com
This beautiful butterfly with transparent wings that seem to provide a window through her world!
Male Glasswings are known to convene in large groups to try and compete for female attention (who has the most see-through wings, perhaps?), and scientists speculate that their wings make them harder for predators to spot while in flight.
#8. Tortoise Shell Beetle
Source: Scott Frazier/Project Noah
This beetle’s translucent shell helps camouflage it from predators. These little guys come in a variety of sizes and colors, and each has a unique shell design.
#9. Ghost Shrimp
Source: istockphoto.com
This stunning ghost shrimp is pregnant! Ghost shrimp can be found in rivers and lakes all over the world, and its so transparent that after it has a meal, you can see the color of the food in its stomach.
#10. Bristle Worm
Source: Ingo Arndt/Minden Pictures
Found in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea, this marine worm predator has a mouth shaped like a trumpet. There are more than 10,000 known species of bristle worms, including the lugworm and the sandworm. These segmented worms can grow anywhere from .039 inches to nearly 10 feet long!
#11. Pelagic Octopus
Source: Chris Newbert/Minden Pictures
This neon-glowing octopus found in the waters of Hawaii, like most octopuses, has no internal skeleton! Females can grow up to three feet long, though not much is known yet about these fascinating creatures’ behavior and life cycle.
#12. Glass Squid
Source: endlessocean.wikia.com
This amazing squid comes in 60 different distinct species, and is found throughout all of the world’s open oceans. Their transparency provides excellent camouflage, and many of them are also bioluminescent, meaning that they can produce their own light!
#13. Comb Jelly
Source: Ingo Arndt/Minden Pictures
Darkness in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea gives this comb jelly a chance to show off its candy-colored bioluminescent cells.
#14. Translucent Squid
Source: Chris Newbert/Minden Pictures
Found in the waters surrounding Papua New Guinea, this amazing squid gets around using its gigantic, see-through eyes.
#15. Jellyfish
Source: Ingo Arndt/Minden Pictures
A tiny jellyfish, with tentacles folded and its orange central mass visible through its transparent body, drifts in the waters of Antarctica’s Weddell Sea.
SHARE these awesome transparent animals with your pet-lover friends. They may learn something from it.
