Transparent eel (Invisible eel)

Transparent eel

Its name is leptocephalus, and it's especially tough to find. It is a juvenile eel at the stage in life when it is transparent.
This information below really helped in explaining why I was seeing a transparent flat eel.

Nature never cease in amazing me.

Leptocephali (more than one leptocephalus) all have laterally compressed bodies that contain transparent jelly-like substances on the inside of the body and a thin layer of muscle on the outside. Their body organs are small, and this combination of features results in them being very transparent when they are alive. They also lack red blood cells until they begin to metamorphose into the juvenile glass eel stage when they start to look like eels.

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by MIDNIGHTSUN


My fiance and I used to have some fish that were transparent, mostly. She's sleeping so ill ask her what they were called later, I'm sure you could see them at your local variety pet supply store. Very neat, I'm just glad we don't have fish anymore, what a terrible pet. Too much to take care of (pH, sanity, cleanliness, etc) for little to no real reward. I like ferrets, my dog, my cat and my plants much better.

Very interesting find nonetheless.

Originally posted by DarkSarcasm
reply to post by MIDNIGHTSUN

 

My fiance and I used to have some fish that were transparent, mostly. She's sleeping so ill ask her what they were called later, I'm sure you could see them at your local variety pet supply store. Very neat, I'm just glad we don't have fish anymore, what a terrible pet. Too much to take care of (pH, sanity, cleanliness, etc) for little to no real reward. I like ferrets, my dog, my cat and my plants much better.

Very interesting find nonetheless.

edit on 28-6-2011 by DarkSarcasm because: (no reason given)

I, I, Me, Me, My, Mine....what a contributor...

As far as the OP, that is super neat....The article says that the animal's organs are very small, but i don't see anything other than an outline...This is the most transparent creature i've ever seen personally, so i thank you for that....very cool find....

I love reading about things like this. That's the strangest eel I've ever seen.. Doesn't even look real.
Makes me wonder how many other creatures like these are out there waiting to be discovered - especially those lurking in the deep unreachable parts of our worlds oceans.

Looks like smoke sometimes.
That's pretty cool, whenever I think I've seen it all, I see something new.

reply to post by DarkSarcasm


Probably Glass Fish. I have had an aquarium set up now for over 10 years and I have moved residences three times with the same set up; fish don't live as long as I like based on the amount of space provided but I do still have the same plants growing after all these years. Philodendrons and Java Fern.

Currently I keep Mosquito Fish going so I can stock the irrigation canals, they are ready to get released now. Come winter I go out there and fish out as many as I can before the canal dries up, our canals are called Bedados.

Wow, the human body is like 70% water or something. This thing looks like it is mostly water.
It is like water took the form of an eel.

What does that thing even eat?

Also, is it very delicate? It seems like it could just snag itself on something and rip itself apart. I guess it must know how to navigate the ocean and not get entangled in stuff or hurt itself or there wouldn't be any of these things living.