There are many fascinating and unique colors that can be found in the natural world. While green, brown, and blue are common colors we see everyday, some rare and unusual shades exist as well. In this article, we will explore some of the most unique colors found in nature and discuss what makes them so special. From vibrant animal coverings to unusual plant life, nature has an amazing palette if you know where to look. Read on to learn about nature’s most exceptional hues.
The Blue Morpho Butterfly
One of the most striking examples of unique color in nature is the blue morpho butterfly. With wingspans up to 8 inches wide, these butterflies are a dazzling sight. The topsides of their wings are a brilliant, shimmering blue. This is caused by the way light reflects off the microscopic scales on their wings. The undersides, however, are a dull brown color with eyespots. This helps the butterflies camouflage against predators when their wings are closed.
Blue morphos live in the tropical forests of Latin America. The bright blue coloring differs among males and females. Males have a more brilliant blue sheen as they use the color to attract mates. The wings of females are a less vibrant blue. But both produce this through structural coloration rather than pigment. The blue comes from the texture of the wing scales, not blue pigment. This makes the blue morpho’s coloring highly unique in the insect world. When the butterfly dies, its wings lose their shiny blue luster and fade to gray.
The Turquoise Poison Frog
South America is also home to another creature with an eye-catching color palette – the turquoise poison frog. Most poison dart frogs are known for their bright markings, but the turquoise poison frog has a body that is almost entirely a striking light blue or greenish-blue color. A few yellow or olive-colored dots sometimes break up the turquoise pattern.
Like the blue morpho, the source of this color is structural. It comes from the reflection of light off a unique surface texture, not from skin pigments. This type of structural coloration is extremely rare among amphibians. It’s thought that the vivid turquoise may serve as a warning signal about the frog’s toxicity. This frog’s skin secretes some of the most potent poisons known to man, containing batrachotoxin which can cause paralysis and death. The unusual turquoise clearly communicates danger.
Flamingo Feathers
Flamingos are most well known for their bold pink or reddish coloring. But this hue isn’t naturally occurring. It comes entirely from their diet. Wild flamingos consume algae and crustaceans high in carotenoid pigments, which dissolve into fats and turn flamingo feathers pink or orange. Captive flamingos don’t absorb enough carotenoids and so their feathers stay pale white or grey.
But flamingo feathers have another, less known claim to uniqueness. While the birds are pink overall, their flight feathers are a deep red or crimson. And these vivid flight feathers contain no carotenoid pigments at all. Unlike the pink feathers, the red color comes from melanin, the same pigment responsible for many red hair shades in humans. These special melanin-based feathers give flamingos an extra boost of color while in flight. It makes their wings appear even more brightly colored in motion.
The Purple Frog
Discovered in India in 2003, the purple frog exhibits an unusual violet or purple shade not known in any other frog species. This strange coloring comes from pigmentation in the frog’s skin. What makes it unique is that this frog spends most of its life burrowing underground like a mole. The purple hue acts as an effective camouflage in the dim subsurface world it inhabits. When exposed to sunlight, the purple color becomes less apparent.
The purple frog also has an unusually round body with tiny eyes and a pointy snout. Its strange looks and secretive lifestyle led one European scientist to dub it “the Dodoso Toad” in 1908. It was even mistakenly believed to be extinct before the rediscovery in 2003. The purple frog is now considered its own ancient family, tracing back 130 million years. Its distinctive appearance and secluded habits certainly make it one of the most unique amphibians on Earth.
The Green Sea Slug
While many sea slugs exhibit exotic colors like electric blue or bright orange, one species stands out as one-of-a-kind – the leaf sheep or green sea slug. Native to the ocean reefs off eastern Australia, this slug can grow up to 6 inches long. True to its name, it is a striking emerald green color all over its body with a delicate, translucent appearance.
The green sea slug obtains its color from chloroplasts. After consuming specific algae species, the chloroplasts pass through the slug’s digestive system unharmed. They continue to photosynthesize inside the slug’s cells, producing food. This leaves the slug with a perpetual greenish hue. While other sea slugs also utilize chloroplasts, the leaf sheep is the only species to remain fully green after consuming them. They can survive for months on the energy produced by these absorbed plant cells alone.
Conclusion
While the natural world may appear familiar, a closer look reveals a myriad of unusually colored creatures. Whether it’s ultra-bright butterflies, poisonous frogs, or subterranean purples, nature has made liberal use of blues, greens, reds and every shade in between. These unique colors can serve important functions like camouflage, communication, or protection. Other times, they arise from specialized traits like diet, light reflection, or even symbiosis with algae. The next time you think a color has gotten stale, remember that nature still has a few surprises up her sleeve.
References
| Source | Description |
| [1] Smithsonian.com | Article on the blue morpho butterfly’s colors |
| [2] Journal of Experimental Biology | Research on structural coloration in blue morpho butterflies |
| [3] National Geographic | Facts about turquoise poison frogs |
| [4] ScienceBlogs.com | Overview of poison frog toxins and colors |
| [5] Audubon Magazine | Details on flamingo feather pigments |
| [6] Journal of Avian Biology | Study on carotenoid and melanin content in flamingos |
| [7] Current Science Journal | Original 2003 article announcing the purple frog |
| [8] LiveScience.com | Background on the purple frog’s discovery and biology |
| [9] Australian Geographic | Information about the green sea slug |
| [10] The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbor | Scientific overview of chloroplast retention in the green sea slug |
