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Color plays an integral role in the animal kingdom. While purple animals are rare, there are many shades of purple that occur in both animals and plants around the world. Of course purple animals are hard to find because mammals can’t make that pigment. Even the birds and insects which are various shades of purple do so only as a result of structural coloration.
Various shades of purple exist in animals as a way of getting attention. Some of that attention is meant to attract pollinators, while others use it as a warning to stay away. Within the species, the bright violet hue can also help attract a mate. Let’s take a look at some of the rare purple animals that exist naturally.
1. Violet-backed starling
The violet-backed starling offers metallic shades of purple over their plumage, although this shade is often seen on the male. It is used as a way to attract a female, which is mostly brown with some flecks of neutral shades. Because they do not have violet in their feathers, females often remain hidden from predators quite easily. To find the violet-backed starling, you have to travel to sub-Saharan Africa.
2. Purple starfish
The purple starfish is a feast for the eyes, found deep in the water. Animals living a few meters below the surface are often hidden by the lack of light. Purple is easiest to see from a certain depth, as opposed to red and orange which disappear about 15 meters below the surface. The only color that is just as easy to see is blue, which can be seen 60 meters below. These naturally purple animals want to be seen. However, their use of violet is not intended to attract a mate. Instead, it warns predators to stay away.
3. Indian Purple Frog
The easiest place to find the Indian purple frog is in the Western Ghats of India. With a length of six to nine cm, these frogs are not known to be poisonous, although that is often the assumption due to their deep shades of purple and gray. They’re not even dangerous; locals have been eating them for over a century and they provide incredible medical benefits. They spend most of their lives underground, mostly eating termites in the rainforest.
4. Violet-crowned Wood Nymph
The violet-crowned wood nymph is part of the hummingbird family, often found in subtropical or tropical habitats. At 10.2 cm in length, the adult has a violet crown that matches the upper back, shoulders and abdomen. The female, on the other hand, is bright green. Often the shades of purple or green do not fully develop until the bird is older.
5. Purple Grenadier
The purple grenadier is a type of finch that typically lives in the east Africa. They have purple feathers all their lives, rather than developing the color later on like the violet-crowned wood nymph. The males are usually more colorful and attract females when it’s time to mate. The combination of colors – maroon and a muted violet – makes these rare purple animals a feast for the eyes.
6. Costa’s Hummingbird
Costa’s hummingbird is the second purple hummingbird found on this list. These naturally purple animals follow the same pattern as other birds, only purple in the plumage of the male with shades of white and green. The purple makes them easy to spot by females when mating. They are easy to spot in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, but a sugar water feeder can attract them more easily.
7. Beautiful Sea Anemone
Magnificently sea anemones are rare purple animals found in the Indo-Pacific region of the world. While the flared oral disc and tentacles are usually light beige or white, the column is where the true beauty is. While many images are included with purple columns, they can also be found in blue, green, red, or pink. Rather than warning predators, the color depends primarily on the algae around them.
8. Sticky Snail
the sticky one snail is a fresh water snail that is both beautiful and incredibly delicate. Although the snail itself is practically translucent, the shell has a beautiful purple hue. Because purple is such a rare natural color, people in ancient Rome got their dye from snails. To make it, the dye maker had to break open their shell to get the slime before exposing it to the sun. To get even an ounce of dye, you could have needed up to 250,000, but the effect is long-lasting.
9. Spanish Scarf
The Spanish scarf, a sea snail, is vibrant with both violet and orange to adorn its body. They are usually found on the west coast of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Galapagos Islands. Their body colors all come from a carotenoid pigment called astaxanthin.
The reason for their colors is twofold. While the orange gills help camouflage them while eating prey, the brightness of their entire bodies tells predators to stay away. It is an indication that they either taste bad or are poisonous to the predator.
10. Longhorn Beetle
The longhorn beetle is more of a grayish purple than a vibrant color like other rare purple animals on this list. Also known as longicorns, these beetles are an invasive species, invading homes. Although most people see them as a nuisance, they are not harmful for anything. They will not damage the structure or furniture of a house and they cannot bite or sting. Instead, the purple hue seems to be mainly due to exposure to different lighting, sometimes blue as well.
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