26 Most Spectacularly Colorful Animals
Nature is filled with beautiful
animals, plants and insects, with magnificent colors and shapes. Of
these endless flora and fauna, I’ve selected 26 of what I consider the
most colorful and beautiful specimen. These birds, fish, insects,
lizards and mammals are so spectacular, it’s hard to believe they’re
real!
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| Cuckoo Wasp |
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The Cuckoo wasp earned its name for its cuckoo-like behavior – it will lay its eggs in the nests of other insect species.
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| Mandarin Fish |
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This small reef fish got its name
from its spectacular colors, which resemble the colors of the robes of
the imperial Chinese officer (Mandarin).
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| Lilac-Breasted Roller |
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Sporting such unique pastel colors, these birds are the official birds of Botswana and Kenya.
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| Peacock Mantis Shrimp |
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The Mantis Shrimp packs the strongest
punch in the entire animal kingdom! If you’re unlucky enough to cause
it to strike you, it can cut your finger down to the bone!
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| Rosy Maple Moth |
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The most common moth in the southern United States, these beautiful insects feed on the sap of maple trees.
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| Parrotfish |
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One of the most common and colorful
of all reef fish, parrotfish eat hard corals and their excrement becomes
sand. Oh, and those beaks are REALLY sharp…
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| Paradise Tanager |
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Locally nicknamed “Seven-Color”, the Tanager is native to the Amazon basin.
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| Dogbane Leaf Beatle |
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These beetles live their lives on the
dogbane plant, and even lay their eggs on it, but sadly, their larva
consumes the roots of the plant, leading to its eventual death…
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| Agama Lizard |
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These lizards live in groups, with a
dominant male that literally is above them all, as he sunbathes at the
highest spot, overlooking his group.
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| Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher |
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Found throughout South-East Asia, these tiny fishing birds can fly at speeds of over 25 miles per hour!
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| Chromodoris Willani |
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Chromodoris willani is a species of blue sea slug, named after Dr. Richard C. Willan, a renowned nudibranch taxonomist.
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| Rainbow Lorikeet |
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Native to Australia, the Lorikeet’s incredible color pallet makes it a much sought-after pet around the world.
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| Chameleon |
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Found all over the world, not all
chameleons don’t have the ability to change color, yet most of them come
in dazzling colors regardless. Their eyes are individually controlled,
allowing the chameleon to look in 2 directions simultaneously.
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| Fiery-Throat Hummingbird |
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These magnificent birds are only
found in the mountains of Costa Rica and Panama, above the elevation of
4600 feet (1400 meters).
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| Idalus Herois |
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This moth is common to Central America and Brazil.
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| Rainbow Boa |
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The spectacular colors of the rainbow boa are the result of microscopic ridges along its scales, which act as prisms.
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| Peacock Spider |
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Like the peacock, its namesake male spider uses his bright colors to attract females.
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| Mandarin Duck |
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The Mandarin is a perching-duck
species, found in East-Asia. They are believed to be lifelong mates, and
are regarded as the symbol of love and marriage in Chinese culture.
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| Poison Dart Frog |
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These frogs produce a very toxic
mucus that covers their body. They earned their name from the use
natives of South-America rub them on their arrows to create poisoned
ones for hunting. There are over 100 species of these frogs, and all
have bright colors, meant to deter predators.
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| Flamingo |
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Flamingos are naturally grey, their
pink color is the result of a diet rich in shrimp which are themselves
rich in beta carotene.
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| Mandrill |
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While the bright colors on the male’s
faces is used to attract females, their colorful rear ends are meant to
make it easier for individuals to follow each other in dense
vegetation.
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| Keel-Billed Toucan |
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The Toucan’s bill is a whole third of
the bird’s body, and like in most birds, the bright colors are the
male’s way to attract females.
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| Blue-Ringed Octopus |
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These beauties are barely 8 centimeter long, but they compensate with venom so potent it can paralyze and kill a grown human.
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| Peacock |
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Peacocks are members of the Pheasant
family. In ancient Greece, they were the symbol for immortality, in
ancient Persia and Babylon they were considered the guardians of royalty
and in modern-day, the peacock is represented in the NBC logo.
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| Collared Lizard |
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Found throughout the southern United
States, these lizards can stand up and run on their hind legs. When born
in captivity, they are generally very docile and tolerant of human
touch.
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| Golden Pheasant |
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Despite their showy colors, Golden
Pheasants are actually very difficult to spot in the wild. Males can
reach about 60cm in size (though most of that is thanks to their long
tail). Gold Pheasants can fly, but seem to prefer to run and are capable
of reaching high speeds.
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lundi 20 octobre 2014
26 Most Spectacularly Colorful Animals
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