# Transparent Skin

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-skin/269778>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 18, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-skin/269778 "2004-10-18T03:53:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-skin/269778/1 "2004-10-18T03:53:21Z")

</div>

Have any amphibians, reptiles or mammals ever been known to have had the mutation of transparent skin? Would this be an extreme form of albinism?

Could such a condition be brought about through genetic manipulation?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-skin/269778/2 "2004-10-18T04:13:05Z")

</div>

Probably not as extreme as you’re talking about, but on the hairless mice at work, you can clearly see their livers through the skin. Of course the hairlessness is a genetic mutation.

I can also see dark coloured mice through the skin of my Leucistic Texas Rat Snake. It’s a true white snake, not an albino.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-skin/269778/3 "2004-10-18T04:16:42Z")

</div>

There is an entire order of glass frogs, where the ventral surface is transparent and you can see their internal organs. There’s a pic of one species [here](http://www.kennanward.net/CR_frogs_3_03/images/Glass.FrogC.jpg).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-skin/269778/4 "2004-10-18T04:40:11Z")

</div>

I find transparent _clothing_ to be a worthier subject of study, myself.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-skin/269778/5 "2004-10-18T05:46:43Z")

</div>

There’s lots of transparent fish - scales _and_ skin.