Black Shield-Tail Snake
(Melanophidium khairei)

Found in the rainforests of the Western Ghats in southern India, the Black Shield-Tail Snake is a small burrowing snake that, under the right light, produces a vivid iridescent sheen across its scales — shifting between blues, greens, and purples like oil on water. This structural coloration comes from the microscopic arrangement of its scales rather than pigment — similar to the blue morpho butterfly!