Some creatures are so unique and mystic that they will leave you spellbound. One of such creatures is the transparent ones. Yes, you heard it right, there are certain creatures with transparent bodies. Or you can call them the ‘invisible’ ones. Remember, we talked about the Glasswinged Butterflies in one of our previous articles? In this article, we will let you know about ten transparent animals in the world,
Transparent Animals In The World
1. Juvenile Sharpear Enope Squid
The Juvenile Sharpear Enope Squid has a transparent body that is adorned with polka dots. These dots are basically pigment-filled cells. And there are some organs below the eyes of the squid that are clearly visible due to the transparent body. They do not have any vesicles and their arms are full of hooks. They are mostly found at the depths of 200-1000 meters in tropical and subtropical oceans. . Sperm whales love to feed on them.
Image Source: Twitter
2. Juvenile Surgeonfish
A Juvenile Surgeonfish is another transparent creature. It looks more like a toy than a living creature. But, it is a real thing. This fish is mostly found in waters near New Zealand. It can grow as big as 30cm. You will be surprised to know that Surgeonfish is a member of the Dory family; the one in the movie Finding Nemo.
Image Source: Twitter
3. Glass frog
The glass frog is also known as a “see-through frog” because the lower part of the frog species is totally transparent and belongs to the family Centrolenidae. The liver, heart, and intestines can be clearly visible through the bottom of the frog species. As of now, 60 species of glass frogs are known to humans and mostly seen in the regions of southern Mexico, in Central and South America. These frog species are arboreal which means they live in trees and they come out during the mating season. These are small frog species that can grow upto 3 to 7.5 cm in length.
Image Source: Amber Case
4. European Eel/Glass Eel
The European Eel has a snake-like body but it is actually a fish. They have tiny pectoral fins and long bodies. These creatures do not have a fixed body color as they change it many times throughout their lives. As babies they are entirely transparent but as they start to mature their bodies turn yellowish-brown from the belly and sides. They can survive in both fresh and brackish waters. Their lifespan varies between 5-20 years. An interesting fact about them is that as they become sexually active, their eyes grow thicker and darker and their flanks turn silver. At this stage, they are called ‘Silver Eels’.
Image Source: Canopic
5. Crocodile Icefish
This fish is also known as Crocodile fish. The shape of its body is like that of the snout. Their transparent bodies lack red blood cells and hemoglobin and that is why they are also called white-blooded fish. Their heart is big in size. They can easily swim in waters where the temperature is as low as negative two degrees. Their body consists of an anti-freeze glycoprotein that prevents the formation of ice crystals in their blood. A total of sixteen species of crocodile icefish are there in the world and most of them are found in the Antarctic region. They love to eat small fish and crustaceans.
Image Source: Wikimedia
6. Transparent Immortal Jellyfish
Transparent Immortal Jellyfish found in the Mediterranean sea is a species of Jellyfish. It is an adorable creature with a transparent outer shell and strings attached to the cells. An interesting fact about them is that they can revert back to being sexually immature, once they reach the stage of sexual maturity as a solitary individual. They are known as immortal because they do not have a fixed lifespan. They are capable of going back to the polyp state; a quality very different from other kinds of Jellyfish. When it comes to their diet, they feed on mollusks, fish eggs, planktons et cetera. Moreover, it uses its bell to catch the prey.
Image Source: Wikimedia
7. Ghost Shrimp
It is also known as the Glass Shrimp. It has an entirely transparent body and you can clearly see the yellow and orange colored organs in it. It can survive only in freshwater and is mostly found in lakes. It eats Plankton as its food. Interestingly, ghost shrimp can be used as tank cleaners. Females have larger bodies than men. Their lifespan is just around a year. It is one of the most amazing transparent animals in the world.
Image Source: Wikimedia
8. Glass octopus
Glass octopus also known as Vitreledonella richardi is one of the colorless and transparent animal species that belongs to the family Amphitretidae. The adult can grow upto a length of 45 cm (18 in) and usually prefers tropical and subtropical ocean areas. The population of Glass octopus is unknown, however, it is belived that the population is widespread across all oceans. The transparent nature of Glass octopuses helps them in protecting themselves from predators. Octopuses are considered one of the smartest animals in the world.
Image Source: Wikimedia
9. Glasswinged Butterfly
Glasswing butterflies are one of the transparent animals mostly seen in the regions of Central America, South America, and North Texas. It can grow upto 1.1-1.2 inches in length and are 2.2 to 2.4 inches tall. One of the beautiful butterflies in the world generally preys on plants and bird droppings. The glasswing butterfly is a type of insect that belongs to the family of Brush-footed butterflies. The graceful animal loves to thrive in warm tropical forests. The avarage lifespan of the glasswinged butterfly is 6 to 12 weeks.
10. Sea Salps
They belong to the family of sea squirts. Having a barrel-shaped body, they are semi-transparent. If you ever found them on the seashore, you might find them a doppelganger of jellyfish. But they are different. If we talk about their habitat, they are mostly found in offshore marine environments. You might have heard about jet propulsion in your science classes. Sea salps are the best example of this process because this is how they move. There are more than seventy species of salps in the world. Nearly, twenty of them are found in Australian waters.
Image Source: Wikimedia
These are the transparent animals in the world. Kindly share and do post your comments.
