Most Transparent Animals of the Nature--世界上最透明的动物.pdf

Nature s Most Transparent Animals A team of researchers recently announced the discovery of Cyanogaster noctivaga a brand new species of transparent fish that lives deep in the Amazon Indeed with its transparent skin and dazzling blue belly the discovery constitutes an entirely new genus and despite being very hard to see has been given an eye catching name that means blue bellied night wanderer This unique organism got us thinking about what other creatures are transparent or translucent so we put together this list 1 Transparent Amazonian Fish Cyanogaster a recently discovered translucent fish Photograph courtesy Natural History Museum It s speculated that the combination of its nearly invisible nature and nocturnal ways may be the reason why Cyanogaster noctivaga wasn t discovered until now The fish is also tiny measuring an estimated maximum of 0 7 inches 17 millimeters long and makes its home in the notoriously murky Rio Negro which may have contributed to its elusiveness Being that hard to see confers obvious survival benefits as a form of camouflage so it s not surprising that when it comes to transparency it ahem clearly isn t alone See Photos of a Fish With a Transparent Head 2 Golden Tortoise Beetle Golden tortoise beetles can shine metallic gold or change color to red Photograph by George Grall National Geographic The golden tortoise beetle Charidotella sexpunctata is high in the running for the tiniest and most beguiling of nature s translucent creatures At 0 2 to 0 3 inches 5 to 8 millimeters long it resembles a metallic ladybug and is something of a chameleon shifting in color from gold to a reddish bronze throughout the year Also known as the goldbug the lovely leaf eater manages this transformation by reflecting light through liquid stored below a transparent outer cuticle 3 Glass Frogs The translucent glass frog Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum Photograph by Joel Sartore National Geographic Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum also known as the glass frog is native to the cloud forests and rivers of Ecuador Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum s pale green skin is translucent to the point that the majority of its vital organs are clearly visible Unfortunately the species is endangered due to continuing habitat destruction 4 Sea Angels A sea butterflyfish swims in waters off Enderbury Island Photograph by Brian Skerry National Geographic Sea angels are mollusks native to the Arctic Ocean whose scientific name Gymnosomata is Greek for naked body and whose appearance is both ghostly and beautiful see video below Sea angels are hermaphroditic and feed on another possibly related species of winged mollusk known as the sea butterfly Thecosomata Since they appear to flutter through the water on tiny translucent wings it s easy to see how sea angels got their common name although they also have pointy protrusions that resemble horns 5 Barton Springs Salamander An endangered Barton Springs salamander Eurycea sosorum Photograph by Joel Sartore National Geographic The Barton Springs salamander Eurycea sosorum is a small lungless salamander unique to Barton Springs a group of natural springs in Austin Texas Its speckled reddish brown skin is translucent and eggs or even the contents of the salamander s last meal are often visible Since the Barton Springs salamander is found nowhere else in the world and relies on fresh unpolluted spring water it s been listed as an endangered species since 1997 While for many animals translucency is a way of life some creatures exhibit it only in certain phases 6 Translucent Tadpoles Note the tadpoles coiled intestines Photograph by Paul A Zahl National Geographic These Costa Rican tadpoles have see through skin that reveals neatly coiled intestines 7 Larval Squid A transparent larval squid Photograph by David Liittschwager National Geographic This larval squid shows off translucency and iridescence in equal measure 8 Monarch Butterfly Pupa A translucent monarch b