What is the reason for the rarity of animals with blue colors?

Take a look at these animals: a deer, a dolphin, a squirrel, and a dinosaur. You've probably already guessed that I'm about to ask you what they all have in common, right? The boring answer is that they've all lived on this planet at a certain point in time. What's even more surprising about their common features is their coloration. On that note, let me tell you about Abbott Thayer and his amazing theories on animal coloration. Thayer was a portrait painter extraordinaire, but he also had a thing for the colors of the natural world. He came up with some pretty cool ideas about how animals can stay hidden from predators or prey, and they're still relevant today. One of his most famous theories is called "countershading" - basically, animals are painted by nature so that the parts that get the most light from the sky are the darkest and vice versa. It's like they're wearing the perfect outfit to match their environment. And let me tell you, this technique is not just for fashion-savvy animals; it's also used by ships to avoid detection. Thayer and his friend even got a patent for it.

Thayer also came up with the idea of "background blending," which is when an animal or object is painted to match the colors of its surroundings. Think of it as a natural camouflage suit. Thayer didn't stop there, though. He also proposed a theory on something called "disruptive" or "dazzle" camouflage. This is when an object is painted with a crazy pattern to make it harder to judge its distance or speed. It's like when you're trying to hit a piñata that's moving all over the place, and you can't quite get your timing right.

If you're a shark swimming beneath the surface of the ocean and you look up, you're going to see the bright sky and the lighter-colored ocean surface. If you're a prey animal swimming on the surface, your lighter belly will blend in with the bright sky while your darker back will blend in with the deeper water. It's not just aquatic animals that use countershading to their advantage. Land animals like deer and rabbits have lighter bellies and darker backs, which helps them blend in with the dappled light of the forest floor. And let's not forget about birds; many birds have countershading on their feathers, which helps them blend in with the sky when seen from below and the ground when seen from above.

Some creatures out there have a way of warning others that they're not to be messed with. Yeah, it's called aposematism - a fancy word for using bright colors or markings to let predators know that they're toxic or just downright unappetizing. Take the skunk, for example. That broad white stripe on its back is like a neon sign that says "don't get too close or else you'll regret it." And those yellow-banded poison dart frogs - they're walking billboards for their own poison, with their bright and graphic colors letting everyone know that they're not to be fooled with. Even wasps use the power of bright colors to signal to potential threats that they're packing a sting. And you know those cute little ladybugs? The brighter they are, the more toxic they can be. Who knew that something so adorable could be so deadly?

It turns out that white, yellow, red, and black are the most effective warning colors in the animal kingdom - just like how traffic signs caution drivers, these bright markings are nature's way of saying "watch out, buddy." If you ever come across a critter with some serious bling, just remember they're not trying to be fashionable. But why have some animals evolved to use bright colors while others have not? This question has long puzzled scientists, but a team of researchers at the University of Arizona has shed some light on the matter. According to their theory, an animal's vibrant coloring is strongly linked to the activity patterns of its evolutionary ancestors. For example, species that use bright colors to attract mates are usually descended from ancestors that were active during the day, while those that use their colors to ward off predators usually had ancestors that were active at night. In other words, animals have evolved to use their colors in the most advantageous way possible.

So how did vivid coloration even come to be in the first place? It turns out that early in their evolution, most species started out quite plain and drab, but over time, bright colors evolved across many different lineages because they helped animals survive and reproduce. However, not all bright colors are created equal. The researchers found that vividly colored lizards and birds typically use their coloring as a mating signal to attract partners.

The question of why some animals have evolved to use bright colors and others have not has puzzled scientists for a long time. Fortunately, a team of researchers at the University of Arizona has proposed a theory that sheds light on this colorful mystery. It appears that an animal's vibrant coloring is strongly linked to the activity patterns of its evolutionary ancestors. For instance, species that use bright colors to attract mates usually descended from ancestors that were active during the day, while those that use bright colors to ward off predators usually had ancestors that were active at night. Therefore, animals have evolved to use their colors in the most advantageous way possible. Interestingly, vividly colored lizards and birds use their coloring as a mating signal, while colorful amphibians and snakes often wear their colors as a warning sign for predators. Many of these amphibians and snakes are diurnal, now active during the day, but their ancestors were nocturnal, active at night. Hence, there is no clear connection between warning colors and present-day activity patterns. Mother Nature sure is creative when it comes to helping animals adapt and survive in the wild. Nonetheless, some creatures out there could win the award for the weirdest animals any day. For example, the glass frog, which has super-thin translucent skin that helps it blend in with its surroundings. Imagine walking through the lush rainforest of Central and South America, coming across a tiny frog perched on a leaf. From above, it looks like your average run-of-the-mill frog, but if you flip it over, you will see all its organs on display, including the heart, intestines, and all. Why have these frogs evolved to be see-through? It turns out that their translucent skin helps them blend in with their surroundings.

When light shines on the glass frog from above, its organs become visible through its super-thin translucent skin, making it difficult for predators to decipher its shape. The frog's transparent legs help to further blur its outline, making it even harder for predators to recognize its form. Surprisingly, some penguins, such as the yellow king penguin, have unique coloration that is not commonly found in the animal kingdom. Scientists are still trying to determine how the yellow coloration naturally occurred in the penguin. One theory is that it is a form of leucism, a condition where an animal is unable to produce the proper pigments for its natural coloration. However, while all king penguins produce small amounts of this yellow pigment naturally, it appears to be the only pigment produced by the particular yellow king penguin observed by the photographer. This distinctive coloration makes the penguin stand out from the crowd, which is rare for animals in the wild. Interestingly, blue is a popular color amongst people but is rarely found in the animal kingdom.

Most animals find it difficult to display the color blue since there are no true blue pigments in plants that they can obtain through their diet. While some animals derive their pigmentation from the food they eat - like flamingos, who turn pink from consuming shrimp, or goldfish, whose golden hue can change based on their diet - animals that desire blue coloring must find creative alternatives. One such example is the blue morpho butterfly, whose wing scales are shaped in a particular way that causes light to blend in a manner that reflects only blue. If the scales were shaped differently, the butterfly would lose its striking blue color.