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> "The only exception in nature is the obrina olivewing butterfly, which is the only known animal to produce a true blue pigment." That is a bold claim, but a
by pvaldes 2y ago
> "The only exception in nature is the obrina olivewing butterfly, which is the only known animal to produce a true blue pigment."
That is a bold claim, but a false one. A few butterfly species share that pigment. Mussels also have other blue pigments based in carothenes that don't depend on iridiscence.
- dotancohen 2y agoAlso, there is a snail that was revered millennia ago for some blue ink that could be extracted from it. Several religions, notably Judaism among them because it is still around today, attach significance to this difficult-to-obtain colour.
- lores 2y agoThat's the dye from Hexaplex Trunculus, but it's more of a bluish purple than a true blue. There seems to be modern ways to turn it into a true blue, but whether the ancients had an unknown method is debated and unproven. It's worth noting that colour names in ancient times were a lot more blurry than now (the famous sea the colour of wine of Homer), and blue is still one of the most blurry.