Check out these animals, although you’ll have to look closely. Why? Because they’re invisible! Well ok, maybe not, but they are transparent. Want to know why many of the animals featured below are sea-dwelling creatures? The answer is all about self-preservation. As pointed out by Scientific American’s Sönke Johnsen, “almost all open ocean animals not otherwise protected by teeth, toxins, speed or small size have some degree of invisibility.”
The Glasswinged Butterfly
Greta oto (glasswinged butterfly) is a brush-footed butterfly. The transparency of its wings results from the combination of three properties: first, from the low absorption of the visible light by the material constituting its wings, second, from the low scattering of the light passing through the wings and finally, from the low reflection of the light impinging on the wings surface. Adult glasswings can be found mostly from Central to South America as far south as Chile. They can migrate great distances and have been documented as far north as Mexico and Texas.
Transparent Juvenile Surgeonfish
This transparent fish is a juvenile Surgeonfish. They’re found in a wide range of waters including those around New Zealand. Believe it or not, it’s the same species of fish as Dory from Finding Nemo/Dory! They can grow up to 30cm (12 inches) long and are popular aquarium fish.
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