Meet 24 incredible blue animals, from the pretty blue-speckled tree monitor to the vivid blue poison dart frog – BBC Wildlife

Discover 24 amazing blue animals – some common, some rare. And there may even be some surprises… blue bee anyone?

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Published: Thursday, 04 July 2024 at 10:25 AM

Blue might be one of nature’s rarest colours, but blue animals are more common than you think. Meet our favourite blue animals, from the common to the rare – and be prepared for some surprises…

24 amazing blue animals

The male is what gives this American bird species its name, Indigo bunting. It is a bright and pretty blue colour in order to attract a female during the breeding months, with brown plumage in winter. The female is a disappointing brown all year round.
Blue poison dart frogs from Surinam, South America. © Getty Images
The showy and dazzling peacock in all its glory © Getty Images
Blue-speckled tree monitor, found on the island of Batanta in Indonesia. © Westranger/Getty Images
Can this be real? A beautiful blue dragon sea slug. © S.Rohrlach/Getty Images
By-the-wind sailors live in warm and temperate oceans around the world. © Getty Images
A blue carpenter bee, Xylocopa caerulea, on a flower.
The blue carpenter bee (Xylocopa caerulea) from south-east Asia. © Getty Images
Blue tit in spring on a small branch. © Mark L Stanley/Getty Images
A Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis) washed up on St. Catherine’s Beach in Bermuda
A washed up Portuguese Man o’ War – watch out for its sting! © Getty images
Common blue butterfly on marjoram. © Ian West/Oxford Scientific/Getty Images
The Grand Cayman blue iguana. © Michael Fitzsimmons/Getty Images
Sri Lankan blue magpie in Sri Lanka. © feathercollector/Getty Images
Portrait Blue Bielzia coerulans slug crawls over dry leaves in forest. Carpathian blue slug or blue slug selective focus
Blue Bielzia coerulans slug © getty Images
Blue jays in the snow. © Gary Carter/Getty Images
Striped surgeonfish at the Great Barrier Reef, Unesco World Heritage Site. © Norbert Probst/Getty Images
A young panther chameleon. © fotoclick/Getty Images
Common kingfisher in Sussex, UK. © Lillian King/Getty Images
Blue shark in the sunlight at Gordon’s Bay, Azores. © Margriet Tilstra/Getty
Blue shark in the sunlight at Gordon’s Bay, Azores. © Margriet Tilstra/Getty Images
Blue-winged kookaburra. © Rini Kools/Getty Images
Eastern bluebird. © Gary Carter/Getty Images
An emperor dragonfly. © Anne Richardson/Getty Images
Blue-girdled angelfish, also known as majestic angelfish, swimming past soft corals in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. © Georgette Douwma/Getty Images
Normally brown in colour, male sinai agama lizards turn blue in the mating season to attract females. © Grandbrothers/Getty Images
The blue whale is probably one blue animal everyone can name. Blue whales are actually blue-grey, but they appear brilliantly turquoise in the water as they reflect the blue sky. © Getty Images