5 Magnificent Transparent Animals You Can See Right Through

I stopped when I saw this worm on the floor outside my friend’s house the other day. You can actually see its pink corkscrew guts. Amazing.

There are quite a few other transparent species on earth you can see right through, as Alanis Morrissette might say. Mostly, though, they live in the ocean. Indeed, Scientific American’s Sönke Johnsen told io9: "Almost all ocean animals without teeth, toxins or the ability to speed away from predators have some degree of invisibility.“

Little is known about why certain animals have this feature. Theories include the ability to blend in with their surroundings and keep safe or, in the case of the Glass Frog, regulate their internal organs. Here’s some science on tissue structure if you’re into that kind of thing. And here’s five more examples of amazing transparent animals.

1. Greta Oto butterfly

2. Glass Frog

3. Comb Jelly 

4. Larval Flounder

5. Barreleye