Pete Oxford/Minden Pictures (Frog); Eddy Van 3000 (Butterfly)
You can see through parts of the glass frog and the glasswing butterfly!
What if you could look inside your skin? Just imagine! You could watch your heart beat. You could follow the sandwich you ate for lunch move into your stomach.
Well, you could do all of that if you were a glass frog!
Strange Skin
Glass frogs live on leafy green trees in rainforests. The slimy skin on their backs is light green. But the view from underneath is different. You can see right through their legs and bellies!
Scientists think this strange skin helps the frogs stay safe. How? It helps them camouflage, or blend in with their surroundings. So hungry birds flying by might not see the frogs and eat them.
Camouflage is an adaptation. Adaptations help plants or animals survive where they live. Some adaptations, like see-through skin, help animals avoid being seen. Others, like thick fur, help animals stay warm in cold places.
See-Through Creatures
David Shale/NPL/Minden Pictures
Glass frogs aren’t the only animals with see-through skin. Other creatures also use their strange skin to avoid being seen.
The glasswing butterfly has clear wings. Certain kinds of eels are nearly invisible. And then there are ghost shrimp. Similar to a glass frog’s body, a ghost shrimp’s body is as clear as crystal. So you can watch the food it’s eaten pass through its guts.
What do you think of this animal adaptation: Creepy or cool?
PARAGRAPH POWER
Write a short summary explaining how see-through skin can help animals. Our online paragraph-writing skill builder will show you how!
Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Your students can learn more about animal adaptations with our fun and informative video, “Amazing Adaptations.” You’ll find the video in the Resources tab.
What are other clever ways animals stay safe? Find out in two of our other Mini Read features, “This Bridge Could Save Their Lives” and “The Power of Stink.”
Introduce your students to another rainforest animal with our December/January 2021 Big Read story “How to Save a Baby Orangutan.”
Fun fact: Certain types of fish, octopus, eel, and squid are all see-through! There’s also the skeleton flower, which becomes transparent when it rains.
