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From fish to frogs, many of the world's most intriguing animals have transparent skin.

While scientists are not entirely sure how the animals evolved, it is thought that transparent skin helps the creatures blend in with their habitat.

The development of invisible skin gives these animals, which are often prey, an advantage because they are able to escape a predator's gaze.

Ghostly: Almost all ocean animals that do not have teeth, toxins or the ability to speed away from predators have some degree of invisibility, said Sönke Johnsen, a scientist and writer for Scientific American. A white shrimp is pictured

Almost all ocean animals without teeth, toxins or the ability to speed away from predators have some degree of invisibility, said Sönke Johnsen, a scientist and writer for Scientific American.

'In fact, transparency is uncommon only at depths where sunlight never penetrates,' he wrote in a study covered by IO9.

Many see-through creatures rely exclusively on their invisibility to keep them safe and the amount of light that is able to pass through their bodies ranges from between 20 per cent and 90 per cent.

Baring all: Many creatures rely exclusively on their invisibility, such as the jellyfish pictured right, and the amount of light that is able to pass through their bodies ranges from between 20 per cent to 90 per cent. Fleischmann's Glass Frog (pictured left) is native to the cloud forests of Central and South America. Its vivid green translucent skin and the majority of its vital organs are clearly visible

Jelly baby: This box jellyfish is made from a gelatinous material which helps it blend in with its watery surroundings. The material largely incompressible in water, so it allows the creatures to live in highly-pressurised depths, but is buoyant enough to let them float. Its gelatinous body is non-living, so needs very little energy, allowing transparent animals to survive on very little food

Larger animals tend to have clearer tissue than smaller ones and those that live some 2,460ft (750 metres) beneath the waves can be as transparent to those that graze the surface.

These extraordinary images were taken by a host of photographers from around the globe. Among them is a Raja Binoculata, also known as a Big Skate which was spotted in San Pedro Bay, California and a Glass Wing butterfly which was found resting on a leaf in Ecuador.

The butterflies are aptly known as espejitos in Spanish, which means mirrors.

Fleischmann's Glass Frog is native to the cloud forests of Central and South America. It has vivid green translucent skin and the majority of its vital organs are clearly visible.

Mysterious: Among the transparent creatures photographed was  a Raja Binoculata, also known as a Big Skate (pictured) which was spotted in San Pedro Bay, California and a Glass Wing butterfly which was found resting on a leaf in Ecuador

I can see clearly now: Transparency is usually found in pelagic animals – those that live in the sea or in lakes. Such animals range in size from an inch to larger than a basketball. It is possible to see this glass fish's internal organs if you look carefully

Transparency is usually found in pelagic animals – those that live in the sea or in lakes. Such animals range in size from an inch to larger than a basketball.

They are occasionally spotted because of the contents of their stomachs or the occasional flash of colour or iridescence, but are on the whole largely invisible a matter of inches away.

The main advantage of being see-through in the open water is that it provides camouflage at all depths and from all angles.

Some creatures also use their transparency as a weapon. For example, jellyfish-like Portuguese man-of-war have colourful, venomous stinging organs that look like baby fish and shrimp.

Predators that try and eat the 'fish' – unaware of the larger transparent animal they are attached to –are quickly killed.

Some underwater creatures such as jellyfish are all made of a gelatinous material, which in addition to camouflage has numerous benefits.

It is largely incompressible in water, so it allows the creatures to live in highly-pressurised deep waters, but is buoyant enough to let them float effortlessly along.

The material is non-living, allowing transparent animals to survive on very little food.

However, when they do come across a glut of nourishment, they can grow and reproduce incredibly quickly, leading to blooms – colonies of billions of individuals in a relatively small space.

See-though creatures, such this white shrimp, are occasionally spotted because of the contents of their stomachs or the occasional flash of colour or iridescence, but are on the whole largely invisible a matter of inches away.

Invisible benefits: The main advantage of being see-through in the open water is that it provides camouflage at all depths and from all angles. A skate is pictured left and elegant hydromedusa jellyfish, on the right

Nothing to hide! One photographer snapped a Glass Wing butterfly which was found resting on a leaf in Ecuador (pictured. Many butterflies have transparent wings, but invisible body parts are more common in animals that live below the waves and in lakes