Almost Invisible: Transparent Animals of the Deep Sea
Barrel Amphipod | Phronima sedentaria
The barrel amphipod combines a delicate-looking body with a remarkable portable shelter. It removes the soft tissues from a gelatinous animal such as a salp, then carries the hollowed-out remains as a barrel-shaped home. The individual pictured here is free-swimming, without its barrel. Females also use that structure as a nursery. Two sets of eyes provide different views: smaller eyes look sideways, while a much larger pair looks upward or ahead through the barrel opening. The shelter offers protection and buoyancy in the midwater, where solid hiding places are rare and a transparent body alone is not the whole strategy.
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