10 Bizarre See-Through Animals

Here are 10 fascinating see-through animals.

Not all animals are blessed with thick, beautifully patterned fur or shiny, colorful scales, but that doesn’t necessarily make them less intriguing.

Here are 10 fascinating see-through animals.

Number 10. Glass Frog. They’re named such because their upper skin is a translucent green while the flesh on their underbelly is crystal clear. They like to hang out on – and blend into – the trees of the humid Central and South American forests.

Number 9. Barton Springs salamander. This Texan reptile’s sheer outer covering may help it hide from predators, but sadly it hasn’t been able to protect it from pollutants. As the creature relies on all-too-scarce clean spring water, it’s among the most endangered species in North America.

Number 8. Pelagic octopus. Unlike the creatures that spend much of their time on the ocean floor, this octopus lives in mid-depth waters. Its transparency is the result of extreme environmental adaptation.

Number 7. Pram bug. It may look kind of cool, but if you ever see one of these sea crustaceans it’s advised that you swim for your life. They make nests by killing, eating and occupying the corpses of other creatures.

Number 6. Larval squid. Here’s a neat trick. This sea dweller’s outer cover reveals its inner organs, but it’s not completely without pigmentation. It has random patches of color that can be changed at will, giving it an impressive camouflage advantage.

Number 5. Glass wing butterfly. Butterflies get their colorful appearance from scales that reflect light. This little flier is lacking in that department, which is what renders its wings almost entirely transparent.

Number 4. Barreleye fish. The large, clear area on the fish’s head is what allows it to catch a glimpse of what’s swimming above it. Its eyes have a pretty amazing rotation range and can also look straight ahead.

Number 3. Ghost shrimp. This crustacean is about as clear as living things get. In some environments the only time they are even noticed is right after they’ve eaten something colorful.

Number 2. Crocodile ice fish. In addition to being mostly translucent, this swimmer has another unique coloration issue. It lacks red blood cells and hemoglobin, making it a white-blooded being.

Number 1. Hydromedusae. Much like the Medusa of Ancient Greece fame, one of this jellyfish’s most notable physical traits is its great number of serpentine extensions. The undersea version, however, isn’t nearly as dangerous and most don’t even sting.

Which see-through creature do you find most fascinating?