In the waters of Alaska found a rare transparent fish – spotted sea slug

Recently, scientists discovered a rare fish with a completely transparent body in the waters of Alaska. She uses it as a disguise. According to Mashable magazine, the fish turned out to be a spotted sea slug (Crystallichthys cyclospilus).

Biologist Sarah Friedman of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that she had long tried to find at least one such fish and see it with her own eyes. After all, it is a rarity even for scientists. At the moment, the team has found about five fish, and the biologist showed a photo of one of them on her Twitter.

Crystallichthys cyclospilus lives in waters at depths of 100 to 200 meters. Because of this, an ordinary person will never be able to meet him.

The uniqueness of the fish is in its transparent reddish body, thanks to which it has a natural camouflage. Such coloration is necessary for the adaptation of a deep-sea creature. The spotted sea slug is thus camouflaged by the wavelengths of light that pass through the water. And red light has a very short wavelength, which is why it does not reach deep waters. Therefore, the fish is almost invisible to deep-sea predators.

As Sara Friedman elaborated, the spotted sea slug has another important feature. So, on the bottom of the body there are suction cups. With their help, the fish is attached to the rocks under water and firmly held on them in strong currents.

Also during the expedition, scientists found other interesting species of fish. So, they saw an angler fish (monkfish). On her head there is a special process in which there are bacteria that emit light. This allows the fish to lure prey out of the depths of the water and thus lure it in.