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.”
Let’s see this list of transparent animals compiled and don’t forget to vote for your favorite!
1. Chameleon- Master of Animal Camouflage
The name of this lizard is nearly synonymous with animal camouflage as its ability to change the color and pattern of its skin is nearly unrivaled. They are lizards of warm climates and are found in parts of the Middle East, southwestern Asia, and southern Europe, Madagascar, nearly all of Africa, and parts of India and Sri Lanka. They thrive in rain forests as well as deserts.
The chameleon not only changes color to escape predators but to hide from prey, as it is itself an efficient predator. They have eyes like turrets that can move independently of each other, but when focused on the prey they work together to give the lizard three-dimensional vision. Some species of these lizards are so good at animal camouflage that they change color according to the vision of theIR predator.
2. Nightjar- A Little Too Well-Camouflaged?
The nightjar is a medium-sized bird that is active at night or at dusk. They have tiny bills, large mouths, and long wings and are found everywhere save New Zealand and some parts of Oceania. Because they have their nests on the ground, their plumage comes in shades of brown, buff, gray and black, which allows them to blend in with the forest floor. Not only this but during the day these birds tend to lay along tree branches instead of sitting on them like other birds. This also helps to hide them.
3. Crab Spider- Beautiful and Deadly
The crab spider gets its name because it holds its front legs and scuttles much the way a tiny crab would. There are over 2000 species of Thomisidae crab spider, and they live all over the world. They’re also called flower spiders because they sometimes sit on a flower and wait for prey such as a butterfly or other pollinator to come. Then they ambush it. They range in size from about 0.16 of an inch to 0.3 of an inch.
Some crab spider species are able to change their color to match the color of the flower they rest on. Not only this, the spider sometimes turns the color of their prey. Other crab spiders mimic tree bark or bird droppings.
4. Long-eared Owl- Can’t See or Hear it Coming
Like nearly every other species of owl, the long-eared owl comes in shades of brown, black, gray, and buff, the better to let it blend into the woods where it lives. Even during the daytime, it is hard to see as it rests in the crotch of a tree. Found in North America, Eurasia, Europe, and Asia, this bird augments its animal camouflage with near-silent wingbeats. The upshot is the prey neither sees nor hears the bird coming.
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