Why Are Blue Animals So Rare?

This colour is almost never seen in the natural world. It is so rare in fact, that it almost doesn’t exist at all.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

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CREDITS
Created by Dylan Dubeau
Executive Producer, Director, and Director of Photography: Dylan Dubeau
Host: Danielle Dufault
Editor: Cat Senior
Writer: Lauren Greenwood
Producer, Camera Operator: Andres Salazar
Production Assistant: Hayley Torio
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Untangling convergent evolution.

[Craydily]

On that note theres a disappointing lack of pink and purple butterflies

[Sunflowersarepretty]

Blue birds and blue butterflies have to be the most beautiful creatures. Like I could just look at them for hours and be in awe of their beauty. 💙💙💙

[paulmarynissen]

When I was about 6 years old, I was at the beach (here in Australia) and was playing in the rockpools. I was playing for ages with this little octopus that was showing the most amazing blue rings. My parents came over to see what I was doing. They completely freaked out and knocked it out of my hands and I then found out all about the potentially lethal Blue-ringed Octopus.

[VeteranVandal]

Because the very few ways of making something blue with organic chemistry are usually somewhat reactive molecules. But structural blue is a lot easier (which is why, when you see blue in nature, it's structural most times) and can be done with blocks of stable particles of the right size. It's a lot easier to do that than to have a molecule that can absorb that much photonic energy without degrading. You also rarely see violet for the same reason, and both can be done with structural color; the only restrictions you have are the molecule building the blocks not absorbing the light you want to scatter. And as you go in higher energies, you have to use unstable stuff as sources, and get into optical problems like most things absorb UV light, e.g..

[gitfiddlio]

The blue highlights in D's hair are on point

[ehet]

that guy who said 'oh my god, ang ganda!' tehhh that's a blue-ringed octopus susmaryosep! that's extremely venomous!

[turkeysandwich]

Tell that to those blue macaws!!! They are so incredibly beautiful seeing them in person is a whole other thing!

[SorenAlba]

Nice, given the fact that blue is my favorite color, this episode gets my vote. 💙

[AphidKirby]

Fun episode! Wish you talked about the Isopod Iridovirus! Which infects isopods and grows crystals inside them that make them look blue!! One of the craziest ways nature came up with a blue

[wanderlustwarrior]

I'd read a Sonic the Hedgehog children's book when I was younger (Sonic in the 4th Dimension) where he had to infiltrate an army of "Mythos Creatures", And he argued that they should accept him because blue like his color is clearly unnatural. Blue being so rare has lived rent free in my mind ever since!

[zeroxox]

There doesn't seem to be green or purple mammals either, but birds and insects and reptiles come in every colour surely.

[thomasseidler]

What about the Mandrill? It's got a Blue Face. 😊

[benderbendingrodriguez]

Blue Jays are just so naturally majestic & beautiful. Always a thrill to see one in the backyard, feels like a good luck charm to us 🇨🇦's 😊

[aisadal]

Immediate flashbacks to Shane's Blue Chickens from Stardew Valley! 😍😍😍

Also, omg, we're almost close to 2 million subs! 🎉🎉🎉

[voltstorm]

Structural coloration! My favourite fun fact to share with my students.

[tonydeluna]

Keep at it with the video AnimalLogic! 💯

[Dwagginz]

A fun video, as always. My only criticism is I would have liked the names of the chemicals/compounds/etc. to have been displayed on screen alongside Danielle's narration, so it's easy to look them up after. :)

[warhawkjah]

"Where's all the blue food?"
- George Carlin

[monstermoonshine]

You mentioned that the "structural blue" absorbed longer wavelength and only blue remains. And in the animation it was shown that even the violet light is absorbed. But violet has shorter wavelength than blue, not longer... the story should be more complicated than that

[sayoRi-hryl]

I might be wrong but iirc the mandarin fish or dragonet which appears in this video also shares the oddity of having pigment blue

Also I wonder whats the case for blue tonged animals like the skink, polar bear and chow chow I think were those (?)