Almost Invisible: Transparent Animals of the Deep Sea
Redhead Larvacean | Mesochordaeus erythrocephalus
The tiny animal is only part of the structure in this photograph. A redhead larvacean lives inside a delicate mucous house that filters drifting particles from the surrounding water, directing smaller food toward its mouth. Its conspicuous red gut helps mask light from bioluminescent material it has eaten. When the filters clog or danger approaches, the larvacean can abandon the house and build another. The discarded structure sinks, carrying organic material and carbon into deeper water—a large ecological role for a fragile, easily overlooked animal.
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