You just look at these animals, although you have to strain your eyesight, as they are “invisible”. Well, that’s not entirely true, but they are transparent! Do you know why most of the animals on this list live in water? It's all about survival instinct. According to Scientific American Sonke Johnsen, virtually all living creatures that live on the high seas and lack dimensions, teeth, speed, or toxic substances are invisible in some ways.
1
Glass butterfly
The glass butterfly is also known as Greta Oto. Its transparent wings have this form due to three factors: first, the weak absorption of visible light by the wings, caused by the peculiarities of their material; the second is low scattering of light transmitted through the wings; the third is the minimum reflectivity of light directed at the wings of a butterfly. Adults Greta Ogo is found throughout Latin America, from Argentina to Mexico. They are subject to migration, covering long distances during flights. There have been documented cases where these butterflies "migrated" from Chile to the US state of Texas.
2
Transparent surgeon fish
This transparent fish belongs to the genus of surgeon fish. They are found in almost all waters, including the coastal zone of New Zealand. By the way, did you watch the cartoon “Finding Nemo”? And "Finding Dory"? So Dory just belongs to the family of surgeons. These fish, as a rule, grow up to 30 cm in length and are very popular among aquarium lovers.
By the way, about the most beautiful fish on the planet, read the article on our site most-beauty.ru.
3
Transparent squid
A young squid of the Ancistrocherius species is distinguished by pointed tentacles and almost complete transparency. Pea-sized pigment spots are scattered throughout the squid's body. Under the eyes are organs with a bioluminescent property. This type of squid lives in tropical and subtropical waters, often living at a depth of 0.2 to 1 km.
4
House ants eating multi-colored jelly
This species of ants has several names, among which the most famous are the house ant or pharaoh ant. They are unusually small (females do not exceed 4 mm in length, males - no more than 2.5 mm), and the bodies are yellowish or light brown in color. In this case, the pharaohs ant is almost transparent. This is a well-known pest that lives in residential buildings almost everywhere. Ants do the most damage in hospitals and hospitals. Scientists find it difficult to answer the question of where the pharaoh ants came from. Insects owe their name to the place where they were found for the first time - the tomb of the Egyptian pharaohs. In residential buildings, they are located near fireplaces, for which they are called brownies.
5
Shields
Another name for these bugs is tortoiseshell, thanks to the original coloring. They are called transparent only because of the carapace that the insect needs to deceive predators. The pattern on the back, which opens due to the shell, serves as a kind of signal that scares off potential offenders of the shieldfish. This subfamily of beetles consists of several species that differ in size and color. They mainly live in South America, but can also be found on all continents except Africa and Antarctica.
About the most unusual insects on most-beauty.ru there is an informative article.
6
Lesser Macropinna
Barrel-eyed or small-mouthed macropinna refers to beams of feathers that live at a considerable depth. It differs from other representatives of its species in a transparent head, which is necessary for survival. Take one individual and through the skull you can see her eyes. In the same way, she can look “through” her head, quickly noticing predators. The barrel-eye was discovered in the late 30s of the XX century, however, due to the peculiarities of its “invisibility”, it was possible to take high-quality macropin shots in the natural habitat only in 2004. The fact is that the transparency of the head disappears if a small-sized macropin rises from deep waters.
7
European eel
This type of eel is also called river or ordinary. It is known for changing color depending on age. Young individuals are transparent. They are almost completely transparent. Later, the sides and belly of the blackheads take on a brownish yellow color. Being in brackish or fresh water bodies, European eel reaches maturity, which is accompanied by an increase in the eyes, as well as a successive change in color. His stomach turns white, and sides silver. At this age, blackheads are called "silver". 10 years ago they were listed in the Red Book, on the verge of extinction.
8
Transparent cane
Hyperolius Leucotaenius belong to the genus of cane. This species of tailless amphibian is known for its transparency. They are found in DR Congo, and were rediscovered 8 years ago. For many years, transparent frogs were considered, however, most recently, an adult was discovered by scientists from Texas, conducting research in the territory of the former Zaire near the Elila River.
9
Young Octopus
This octopus has a completely transparent body at a young age. It is unusually small - the width of the octopus does not exceed 2 cm. Due to the transparency of the shell, you can see all the internal organs, and the spots of orange color covering the tentacles are used for camouflage. The octopus can change their color depending on the situation in order to become invisible to predators. The first specimen was found in Tahiti at a considerable depth.
10
Salpa Maggiore
This amazing fish was found in upstate New Zealand. The second name is Salpa Maxim. It lives most often in the cold waters of the Southern Ocean. In its appearance, salpa is more like a jellyfish - it is completely transparent. Salps feed on phytoplankton and algae, drawing in water and filtering it. This species of fish has no sexual separation, so they are fertilized on their own.
11
Transparent immortal jellyfish
This species of jellyfish is known to science under the name Turritopsis dohrnii. There are no exact data on their habitats, however, they were found in the waters of Japan, as well as in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Jellyfish live in colonies, their feature is not only transparency (which is not surprising for jellyfish), but also sexual transformation. After reaching maturity, immortal jellyfish lose their "sexuality", multiplying alone.
12
Young horned individuals
A horned box at a young age is completely transparent, changing color over time. Such “multicolor” is necessary for the animal to disguise itself from predators. Their color can vary, from green to orange. And also nature endowed the fish with horns that prevent large fish from swallowing them. It is interesting that young bodies keep in packs, and, reaching maturity, live alone. Fish move so slowly that a person can catch them without using improvised means. They live in the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
13
Glass frog
Glass frogs belong to the order of the tailless family of amphibians. Despite the general color of a light green hue, their belly can be transparent. Due to this, turning the frog on its back, you can consider its internal organs, including the intestines and heart. That is why this type of frog is called glass frog. Their size rarely exceeds 30 mm. The habitat of glass frogs is tropical forests in the mountains. Most often, they settle near ponds, while frogs rarely come into contact with water, spending their whole lives on shrubs and trees.
By the way, on most-beauty.ru there is an interesting article about the most beautiful frogs and toads in the world.
14
Ghost shrimp
This type of shrimp is also known as glass, with the name including three subspecies: Thalassinidea - crustaceans that live in deep gorges; Palamonetes - a small shrimp with an almost completely transparent "body", popular among owners of aquariums; Caprellidae is a thin-bodied shrimp, also known as skeleton shrimp. Transparency does not always help ghost shrimp, which can become prey even for smaller fish.
15
Deep sea devils
Devils or anglerfish have transparent properties only in the state of larvae. Adults acquire a natural color, as well as a kind of bait in the front of the head. The prey swims to the “fishing rod” and the sea devils grab it with sharp teeth that resemble fangs in shape.