Animals with transparent bodies
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Animals with Transparent Bodies — Daily trivia Friday, April 17, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Which insect has a dome-shaped shell whose see-through rims spread out to cover its legs?
- ALadybug
- BTortoise Beetle
- CDung Beetle
- DRhinoceros Beetle
Show answer
Tortoise Beetle
Tortoise beetles are named for the shell edges that spread sideways over their legs, and in the golden tortoise beetle those rims are nearly transparent.
Q 02What structural feature is largely absent from the transparent parts of a glasswing butterfly's wings?
- AScales
- BMembrane
- CJoints
- DVeins
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Scales
In the glasswing's clear panels, the flat scales that colour most butterfly wings shrink to sparse, hair-like bristles, so light passes straight through the membrane.
Q 03What structures propel comb jellies and also scatter light into a shimmering rainbow effect?
- ATentacles
- BBells
- CCilia
- DFins
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Cilia
Comb jellies swim by beating rows of comb-like cilia, and the moving combs scatter light into shifting rainbows, which is not bioluminescence.
Q 04The 'sea angel', a shell-less swimming snail, preys mainly on what other small mollusc?
- ASea slug
- BSea butterfly
- CSea cucumber
- DNudibranch
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Sea butterfly
Sea angels feed almost only on sea butterflies: three pairs of buccal cones grab the sea butterfly's shell, then hooks pull the snail out.
Q 05What distinguishes the blood of Antarctic icefish from almost all other vertebrates?
- AIt is packed with extra red blood cells.
- BIt circulates at extremely high pressure.
- CIt has a significantly higher white blood cell count.
- DIt is transparent due to a lack of hemoglobin.
Show answer
It is transparent due to a lack of hemoglobin.
Icefish blood is transparent due to a lack of hemoglobin: they are the only known adult vertebrates without it, so oxygen travels dissolved in their plasma.
Q 06What chemical compound do glass squids primarily use to achieve neutral buoyancy in the water column?
- AAmmonium chloride
- BCalcium carbonate
- CMagnesium sulfate
- DSodium chloride
Show answer
Ammonium chloride
Glass squids have a large internal cavity that they fill with ammonium chloride, a solution lighter than seawater, which helps them float effortlessly through the ocean.
Q 07Which transparent filter-feeding tunicate is taxonomically closer to humans than to jellyfish?
- AComb Jelly
- BSea Anemone
- CSalp
- DPortuguese Man O' War
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Salp
Salps look like jellyfish but are tunicates, and tunicates are the closest invertebrate relatives of vertebrates like us.
Q 08In which internal organ do resting glass frogs store most of their red blood cells to become more transparent?
- ASpleen
- BLiver
- CKidneys
- DLungs
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Liver
When glass frogs rest, they can siphon nearly 90% of their red blood cells into their liver, which helps them become significantly more transparent and blend into their surroundings.
Q 09Which deep-sea fish has a transparent, fluid-filled head through which its tubular eyes peer upwards?
- AAnglerfish
- BViperfish
- CGulper eel
- DBarreleye
Show answer
Barreleye
The barreleye fish possesses a unique transparent head, which protects its highly sensitive, tubular eyes that are usually directed upwards to spot the silhouettes of prey.
Q 10In the ocean, the effectiveness of transparency as camouflage for animals generally increases with what environmental factor?
- ADepth
- BSalinity levels
- CCurrent speed
- DWater temperature
Show answer
Depth
Depth matters because sunlight fades as the water gets deeper, and transparency hides an animal best in dim light rather than bright sunshine.
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