Transparent octopus. Glass octopus

Mother Nature is capable of creating truly fantastic things, and to prove this you don’t need any scientific data, just look in the mirror. Today we want to tell you about 5 incredible creatures, which look like they are made of glass, or crystal, or some other transparent material.

Crystal caterpillar (lat. Isochaetes beutenmuelleri)

The crystal caterpillar logically got its name due to its translucent body, which from the outside resembles a crystal. Through this caterpillar you can literally see everything that is happening inside it. For example, this dark green stripe running through its entire body is the stomach. The Crystal Caterpillar is exactly the case when it is better to look, but not touch, because its entire body is covered with poisonous hairs that will certainly sting you if you suddenly want to touch with her hands.

Mirror spider (lat. Thwaitesia sp.)

This wonderful mirror-like beauty lives in Australia and its body size does not exceed 3-4 mm. The body of this spider, like the bodies of other representatives of the genus Thwaitesia, seems to be decorated with small pieces of mirror or sparkles.

While moving, these little "mirror pieces" are very small

But when the spider stops, the mirror pieces increase significantly in size. And after a long immobilized rest, they practically merge into one continuous mirror surface.

Sea snail (lat. Micromelo undatus)

This unusual look sea creatures look as if they are made from a mixture of stardust and transparent crystals. Being a close relative of nudibranchs and sea slugs, this transparent miracle has a very tricky way protection from predators. They eat very small toxic worms, literally stealing their venom, and then incorporate it into their tissues, thereby discouraging anyone who wants to feast on their transparent body. This creature measures less than 1.5 cm, so you will need keen eyesight to spot it it in shallow ocean waters.

Transparent shrimp (lat. Periclimenes sp.)

Living in poisonous corals, these transparent shrimp feed on microscopic marine life These shrimp can often be seen hanging out on night anemones, having extremely dangerous poison, designed to immobilize prey. The venom of anemones can immobilize anyone, but not these shrimp, since they are immune to it. This is actually why they make shelters in close proximity to their poisonous friends.

If you suddenly want to take a closer look at the transparent shrimp, then it is better for you to stay away from them poisonous place habitat, which upon contact can leave ulcers on the skin and even lead to kidney failure.

Glass octopus (lat. Vitreledonella richardi)

Living in tropical and subtropical oceans, these transparent octopuses live at a depth of 300 m, however, some of them have been found at a depth of 1000 m (!) Unlike other octopuses that camouflage their bodies with their environment, this glass octopus has a transparent body, so how, on the contrary, it helps him avoid predators and set up ambushes in his usual habitat - in the dark. Since these octopuses live in places inaccessible to humans, science still knows little about their life, but all scientists agree on one opinion - they are incredibly beautiful.

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Its transparent, jelly-like and almost colorless body is an octopus Vitreledonella richardi, which lives in tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans, tries to keep it as vertical as possible. The light that descends to the very ocean floor, although dim, is directed and is capable of declassifying even its most camouflaged inhabitants. And the vertical method of movement helps the octopus avoid direct hits sun rays and cast almost no shadow.

Richard E. Young

All that can be seen inside the transparent body is the digestive system and the esophagus, around which the brain is located in the shape of a donut. The brain of octopuses is one of the most developed among invertebrates, as evidenced by the rudiments of the cortex. Vitreledonella richardi has unusual eyes, protruding upward on thin stalks. This arrangement of the eyes, as well as their rectangular shape, work great for camouflage.

The octopus determines the edibility or inedibility of prey using taste buds, the number of which on each of the eight tentacles can reach ten thousand. Octopuses capture their prey - mollusks, fish and crustaceans - with all tentacles at the same time and, holding it with suction cups, bite it. His salivary glands They secrete poison that penetrates the victim when they bite.

Richard E. Young

In procreation, these octopuses adhere to their own know-how. Unlike males of other species, which separate the hectocotylus (a modified tentacle with sperm) from the body and transfer it to the females, males of Vitreledonella richardi mate during direct sexual contact, and their hectocotylus always remains with them.

Perhaps the most unusual of them are transparent creatures whose bodies resemble ordinary glass, allowing you to see everything through them.

As a rule, all animals with a transparent body use their superpower granted by nature to protect themselves from predators.

In their monastery, thanks to the ability to be “invisible”, they are extremely difficult to notice.

Here are the most amazing transparent creatures living on our planet:

Transparent jellyfish: Aurelia aurita

This jellyfish got its name due to its four large mouth lobes, the shape of which resembles donkey ears.

The body of the jellyfish is translucent, and its dome resembles a flat umbrella. Along the edge of the “umbrella” there are many tentacles that are dotted with stinging cells. With their help, the jellyfish kills or paralyzes small animals.

Transparent octopuses: Glass octopus (Vitreledonella richardi)

This octopus is one of the most mysterious creatures, living at a depth of about 100 meters. Looking at it, it is difficult to understand that it is an octopus, since its almost colorless body and movement in the water are more reminiscent of a jellyfish.

Through its transparent body you can see digestive system and a huge brain. It is worth noting that the glass octopus is the most intelligent invertebrate on Earth - its brain (like the brains of other octopuses) can analyze, remember and learn.

Transparent animals in the water: Mnemiopsis leidyi

This creature lives in sea water, in particular in warm regions. In shape it resembles a jellyfish, however, unlike it, the ctenophore moves with the help of rowing plates that are located on its sides. In the light, his body shimmers with bright colors.

This animal has no eyes or brain, and moves very slowly. The comb jelly mnemiopsis is considered a predator that is capable of depriving animals larger than it of food of food.

Transparent shrimp: Far Eastern shrimp Palaemonetes

These shrimp have become very popular precisely because of the transparency of their body. Interestingly, the bodies are so transparent that the shrimp itself can see the food in its stomach.

In females, their greenish eggs are visible. Typically, these shrimp are purchased for cleaning aquariums - they feed on various deposits and formations on the surface of the aquarium.

Sea transparent animals: Shell pteropods (Thecosomata)

These animals are some kind of sea snails that feed on plankton. They use mucus nets to scoop up food and drag it back.

They live in the sea and move using lift. Shell pteropods are food for animals such as some cetaceans, as well as sea angels(Clione limacina).

Transparent creatures: Notothenioidei

Nototheniformes are also called Arctic icefish because they inhabit Antarctic waters, but they can also be found in the waters of New Zealand and Australia.

Transparent nototheniform fishes adapt well to environment. They even have natural antifreeze in their blood, which prevents the formation of any ice crystals in the body.

Transparent amphipods (Hyperia Macrocephala)

These creatures were discovered during an expedition in the North Atlantic, when scientists managed to find several mysterious representatives of the animal world. They are also called phronims and are one of the most strange creatures ever found on Earth.

Greater California stingray (Raja binoculata)

This stingray lives at depths from 3 to 800 meters, but more often not deeper than 100 meters. Its face is similar to that of a human, which is why it has become a popular animal in many aquariums. Incredibly pale skin allows you to see internal organs stingray, if of course you can get close to it.

Transparent salamander (Eurycea tridentifera)

Brook salamanders are a genus of tailed amphibians, representing the family of lungless salamanders. The peculiarity of these animals is that they do not need lungs - they breathe through their skin. There are 27 species of stream salamanders in total.

Glass frogs (Centrolenidae)

These frogs are brown-green in color and appear to be no different from other frogs. But once you look at its belly, it becomes clear why this frog stands out.

The skin on its belly is so transparent that it resembles glass, which is why the animal got its name glass frog. Several internal organs can be seen through the transparent belly, including the liver, heart and gastrointestinal tract. In females, upon detailed examination, you can even notice eggs.

Indian glass catfish (Kryptopterus bicirrhis)

This freshwater animal lives in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia). It has an elongated transparent body, the length of which does not exceed 15 cm.

It is worth noting that the Indian glass catfish is one of the most transparent vertebrates on the planet. His organs are located next to his head, and with the help of a magnifying glass you can see how the heart beats.

And if the light falls at a certain angle, then the fish takes on the color of the rainbow, but after death their body becomes white.

Transparent jumping spider (Salticidae)

There are more than 5,800 jumping spiders, making this family the largest of all spiders in the world. Jumping spiders have excellent vision and move very quickly.

These two qualities help spiders hunt. This transparent spider was discovered in Ecuador. It stands out with its transparent head and piercing eyes.

TRANSPARENT ANIMALS.

The first thing that comes to mind is transparent jellyfish.

Most jellyfish are, indeed, almost transparent, because they are 95% water.But not all! There are more than two hundred species of jellyfish and some of them are completely opaque...

There is a miracle fish in the world with a transparent head - Macropinna microstoma (small-mouthed micropinna). These fish live at a depth of more than a kilometer, and for a long time scientists could not study them, because when they rose to the surface, the micropins died - which is common for us atmospheric pressure lethal to deep beings.

Only recently have American biologists been able to observe the behavior of fish in a deep-sea aquarium using underwater cameras.

I bet this fish is not what you thought it was? Look at the picture again: the tubular eyes of the fish are located entirely inside the head and are covered by two green lenses, which are visible through the transparent shell of the head, and two dark spots near the mouth - these are not eyes, but olfactory organs, similar to human nostrils!

In addition to the unusual eyes that look straight through the head, fish with transparent heads have several other features that allow these fish in the best possible way adapt to your environment. “Relying” on large flat fins, they can “hang” motionless in the water column. In addition, due to the fins, fish with a transparent head control their movements very precisely. This ability helps in hunting: fish with a transparent head have a very small mouth, and when attacking, it is important for them to immediately grab the victim.

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A transparent octopus, Vitreledonella richardi (glass octopus), also lives in the bottomless depths of the ocean. The long, sharp-shaped body of glass octopuses is gelatinous, similar to that of jellyfish, and almost colorless.

And in the warm tropical seas, a living transparent ribbon - the Belt of Venus - floats, bending its body like a snake.

Belt of Venus is an animal from the class of ctenophores, a predator, feeds on plankton. The transparent body of the Belt of Venus has the shape of a flat gelatinous ribbon up to 1.5 meters long and 8 centimeters thick. In the middle, along the narrow edge of the ribbon, a slit-like mouth opening is visible; The Belt of Venus floats due to the movement of small bristles - paddle plates. This animal has a special organ of balance, thanks to which the living ribbon can move. The Belt of Venus usually lives at shallow depths.

By the way, you don’t have to be a scientist or a scuba diver to see a transparent fish! You can have a transparent inhabitant at home freshwater aquariums- glass catfish.

Glass catfish - small schooling fish, of which you need to get 6-10 at a time so that they feel comfortable in the aquarium. Glass catfish are so transparent that the algae is clearly visible through them. Only the skeleton and a small area behind the head, where all the internal organs of the fish fit, are opaque.

Homeland of glass catfish - Southeast Asia. Moreover, every glass catfish living in Russia was born somewhere in India, because no one still knows how to artificially breed this transparent fish in aquariums!

More recently, scientists have learned to use animal transparency for research purposes. After all, through transparent skin you can observe how various processes occur in a living organism over time. Transparent laboratory animals can be especially useful for studying the development of tumors in internal organs. Therefore, geneticists specially bred transparent laboratory fish and frogs!

"Which is which."

Transparent sea cucumber

Source: ocean.si.edu
This is weird sea creature crawls along the ocean floor and sucks in rich nutrients sedimentary deposits. Sea cucumbers They move quite slowly, at about 2 centimeters per minute.

Glass squid

Source: wikipedia.org
There are about 60 various types glass squid, which make up the Cranchiidae family. They spend most of their lives in partially sunlit shallow waters, where their transparency provides camouflage.

Jellyfish

Source: nationalgeographic.com
There are many different types of transparent or translucent jellyfish. Besides being beautiful and elegant, these animals are dangerous. Because they are transparent, swimmers may not notice their stinging tentacles.

Great California stingray

Source: grindtv.com
The Great California Ray or Raja binoculata is often found in shallow waters. Representatives of the species grow to large sizes. Through their very pale skin, internal organs can be discerned if viewed from close enough.

Transparent crustacean Phronima

Source: ocean.si.edu
This shrimp is most often tiny in size, usually not exceeding 2.5 cm in length. But it is a real fierce beast. Transparent body allows the phronima to blend into its surroundings aquatic environment, so the prey does not notice its waiting claws.

Cyanogaster

Source: nationalgeographic.com
This resident of a tributary of the Amazon River was discovered just a few years ago. The night wanderer with a blue belly and one conical tooth in its mouth reaches only a few millimeters in length.

Angelfish

Source: rebloggy.com
These ethereal creatures are actually a type of sea slug. They served as the inspiration for two Pokémon: Manaphy and Fiona.

Salamander from Barton Springs

Source: nationalgeographic.com
This lungless salamander lives in Barton Springs, a group natural sources in Austin, Texas. It is not found anywhere else in the world, as it requires unpolluted fresh water to survive. The Barton Springs salamander is endangered.