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Black Things: 102 Things That Are Black in Nature

While there are not many black things in nature, we managed to put together a list of black foods, plants, animals, and random things that are black. Can you guess what they are?

Oh, black. Such a mysterious and intimidating color, black is wildly misunderstood. It is a glamorous color that conceals its vulnerabilities and doesn’t come often in nature.

After all, how many black flowers do you know?

For that reason, we’ve listed 102 things that are naturally black. Also, this article is divided into a visual representation of naturally black things, followed by a list of black foods, plants, and animals.

We hope you enjoy it!

What is associated with black?

Because of its mysterious facade, black is intimidating and is often associated with authority. This color is often attributed to expensive products too.

Even though it is the most common color in business attire, black is not one of the most popular favorite colors.

A visual list of things that are black

Here’s the list of things, foods, plants, and animals that are black.

Black things

1. Obsidian

Black obsidian
Obsidian

Obsidian: Any Game of Thrones, Tomb Raider, and many other adventure/fiction books and games, knows obsidian is a strong glass capable of causing real damage. This volcanic glass widely used in cutting and piercing tools in the past is formed when lava extruded from a volcano cools down quickly with minimal crystal growth.

2. Black Sapphire

Black sapphire
Black sapphire

Black Sapphire: Among other black things is this less expensive gemstone used for making jewelry.

3. Black Opal

Black opal
Black opal

Black Opal: Exceptionally rare gemstones mainly found in Australia used for creating beauty products.

4. Black Sand

Black sand
Black sand

Black Sand: Black sand is one of the black things in nature. It is usually fine and of higher density.

5. Melanite

Black melanite gemstone
Black melanite

Melanite: Melanite is a nesosilicate belonging to the garnet group and is recognized as one of the black things in nature.

6. Black Hole

Black hole
Black hole

Black Hole: A spacetime region located in space where gravity is so strong that no particle or light can dodge the force.

7. Charcoal

Black charcoal
Black charcoal

Charcoal: From barbecues to bonfires, charcoal is used worldwide, although its use has been declining due to environmental reasons. This lightweight human-made black carbon residue is made by strongly heating wood in minimal oxygen.

8. Coal

Black coal
Coal

Coal: Very similar to charcoal, coal is a natural combustible black sedimentary rock, formed when plant matter decays into peat and is converted into coal by the heat and pressure of deep burial over millions of years.

9. Black Jasper

Black jasper
Black jasper

Black Jasper: Dense and opaque, Black Jasper is a healing gemstone used to ground energies and relieve pain, stomach ailments, and feet problems.

10. Black Tourmaline

Black tourmaline
Black tourmaline

Black Tourmaline: A special crystal with a hexagonal shape belonging to the aluminum borosilicate family.

11. Black Diopside

Black diopside
Black diopside

Black Diopside: This mineral is used in ceramics, glass-making, and fuel cell technology, and occurs in a number of colors, including green, dull yellow, brown, and black.

12. Black Spinel

Black spinel
Black spinel

Black spinels are one of the most precious gemstones in the world. Its name comes from Greek and means to spark. Besides, this black gemstone is often mistaken for black diamonds due to its opaque, jet-black appearance.

13. Black Hair

Black hair
Black hair

Black hair: Black hair is the darkest and most common of all human hair colors globally due to larger populations with this dominant trait. It’s estimated that between 75%-85% of the world’s population has black hair.

14. Black Eyes

Black eyes of African girl
Black eyes

Black eyes: It’s estimated that between 70%-79% of the world population has brown eyes. What we call black eyes are actually a deep and very dark shade of brown. Still, if you look closer or under the sunlight, you’ll see it’s brown.

15. Black Quartz

Black quartz
Black quartz

Black Quartz: This mineral gets its color from the aluminum in its composition that changes the quartz structure allowing it to absorb light.

Black food

16. Black Rice

Black rice
Black rice

Black Rice: A highly south after rice of the Oryza sativa species, also known as the Forbidden Rice.

17. Indigo Rose Tomato

Indigo tomatoes
Indigo Rose tomatoes

Indigo Rose Tomato: High in antioxidants, these tomatoes have such a deep indigo color that appear to be black under certain light conditions.

18. Coffee

Black coffee
Black coffee

Coffee: This black beverage is extracted from coffee beans and is brownish-black.

19. Black Beans

Black beans
Black beans

Black Beans: They are categorized as legumes with a robust and shell-like outlook, otherwise referred to as Turtle beans.

20. Black Pepper

Black pepper
Black pepper

Black pepper: A flowering vine that is processed for spice and seasoning, and belongs to the Piperaceae family.

21. Black Tea Leaf

Black tea leaves

Black Tea Leaf: Due to oxidation, these tea leaves become rich dark brown to black.

22. Black Olive

Black olive
Black olives

Black olive: This one-seeded fruit is one of the most delicious black things in nature, and it is usually prickled in oil and utilized as a relish.

23. Black Garlic

Black garlic
Black garlic

Black garlic: Aged-long garlic with a dark brown color caused by the Maillard reaction.

24. Black Quinoa

Black quinoa seeds
Black quinoa seeds

Black quinoa: Among many black things in nature are these attractive grain-like black quinoa.

25. Black Sesame Seeds

Black sesame seeds
Black sesame seeds

Black sesame seeds: One of the unique black things is these nutrient-rich black sesame oilseeds.

26. Blackberry

Blue blackberries
Blackberries

Blackberry: Other unique things that are black are these edible blackberry fruits.

Black plants

27. Black Velvet Petunia

Black velvet petunia flower
Black velvet petunia

Black velvet petunia: Known as the world’s only black petunias, with a sticky, hairy, and glowy dark color.

28. Black Tulip

Black tulip
Black tulip

Black tulip: One of the rare black things in the world is this blooming black tulip flower.

29. Bat Orchid

Black Bat orchid
Bat orchid

Bat orchid: Another black thing in nature is this special Bat plant belonging to the flowering plant species.

30. Black Hellebore

Black hellebore
Black hellebore

Hellebore: Also known as a Christmas rose, this plant is an evergreen perennial that is often used for making medicines.

31. Black Pansy

Black pansy
Black pansy

Black Pansy: A royal deep black flower with beautiful petals that create a distinction in the flower bed.

32. Black Dahlia

Black dahlia
Black dahlia

Black Dahlia: A dazzling flower with a curvy, pointed petal that flourishes more on sandy loam.

33. Silver-Laced Primrose

Black silver lace primula flowers
Silver-laced primrose

Silver-Laced Primrose: The blackish garden-friendly primrose creates blooms with a crenated whitish edge and a yellowish eye.

34. Iris ‘Before the Storm’

Black Iris Before the Storm
Black Iris Before the Storm

Iris ‘Before the Storm’: A representation of dramatic beauty with its flowers displaying staggeringly flaring falls.

35. Black Pearl

Black pearl ornamental pepper
Black pearl ornamental pepper

Black Pearl: Among the black things are these Ornamental Pepper Pearl known for their unique dark leaves and fruits.

36. Black Mondo Grass

Black mondo grass
Black mondo grass

Black Mondo Grass: An uncommon darkish flowering plant belonging to the Asparagaceae family.

37. Black Bamboo

Black bamboo
Black bamboo

Black bamboo: Striking and beautiful, black bamboo is an Asian type of grass that is excellent for landscaping.

38. Black Bearded Iris

Black bearded iris
Black bearded iris

Black bearded iris: These black flowers have a dark purple color, almost black, that makes them a unique plant for any garden.

39. Black Lace Elderberry Bush

Black lace elderberry with pink flowers
Black lace elderberry

Black Lace Elderberry: With intense purple-black foliage, this plant gives an effect similar to that of Japanese maple.

40. Black Pearl Coral Bell

Black pearl coral bell
Black pearl coral bell

Black Pearl Coral Bell: It’s a stunning black foliage plant not only for shade but also for the sun.

41. Black Hollyhock Blossom

Black hollyhock blossoms
Black hollyhock blossoms

Black Hollyhock Blossom: This flower appears black in the shade or cloudy days, but has a red hint in bright sun.

42. Mangave Black Magic

Mangave black magic
Mangave black magic

Mangave Black Magic: This hybrid succulent has long, flat black leaves that grow at a fast rate.

43. Coleus Black Prince

Coleus black prince
Coleus black prince

Coleus Black Prince: This evergreen perennial plant has several leaves’ colors, including black.

44. Black Orchid

Black orchids
Black orchids

Black Orchid: Orchids are beautiful flowers with a whole variety of petal colors, including black, green, purple, and white.

45. Black Widow Cranesbill Geranium

Black Widow Cranesbill Geranium
Black Widow Cranesbill Geranium

Black Widow Cranesbill Geranium: This strong growing flower species has a distinctive purple-black color.

46. Blackie Ipomoea Sweet Potato Vine

Blackie ipomoea sweet potato vine
Blackie ipomoea sweet potato vine

Blackie Ipomoea Sweet Potato Vine: This beautiful vine offers vigorous trailing foliage with dark, burgundy black, maple-shaped leaves.

47. Chocolate Cosmo

Chocolate cosmo
Chocolate cosmo

Chocolate Cosmo: These dark reddish-brown, almost black, flowers have a chocolate scent and attract lots of butterflies.

48. Black Baccara Rose

Dark red black baccara rose
Black baccara rose

Black Baccara Rose: The Black Baccara is the darkest rose in the world. It has a dark red color that under certain light conditions might appear to be black, however, real black roses don’t exist.

49. Chocolate Lily

Chocolate Lily
Chocolate Lily

Chocolate Lily: Native of the Pacific Northeast, these perennial flowers have a striking reddish-black color.

50. Elephant Ears Black Magic

Elephant ears black magic
Elephant ears black magic

Elephant Ears Black Magic: This perennial plant has heart-shaped, long-stalked purplish-black leaves.

51. Diabolo Ninebark

Black diabolo ninebark
Black diabolo ninebark

Diabolo Ninebark: This plant has eye-catching flowers and reddish-black leaves.

52. Black Fang Begonia

Black fang begonia
Black fang begonia

Black Fang Begonia: This flowering tropical plant has black and unusual shape foliage.

53. Molly Sanderson Viola

Black Molly Sanderson Viola
Molly Sanderson Viola – Photo by Nick Ford, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Molly Sanderson Viola: Very rare and elegant, these flowers have a glamorous jet-black color. Its petals are edible!

54. Ornamental Millet

Black Ornamental Millet
Ornamental Millet

Ornamental Millet: Native to Africa, these purple-black leaf blades and spike are distinctly different from all other ornamentals.

55. Ornamental Pepper Black Pearl

Ornamental pepper black pearl
Ornamental pepper black pearl

Ornamental Pepper Black Pearl: Having lovely black foliage, this plant produces clusters of red, pearl-like, shiny peppers.

56. Black Rose Aeonium

Black Rose Aeonium
Black Rose Aeonium

Black Rose Aeonium: This plant has nearly black foliage and clusters of yellow flowers that bring contrast and drama into any garden.

57. Black Persian Lily

Black Persian lily flower
Black Persian lily

Black Persian Lily: This stunning plant has pendant bell-like flowers in deep purple to almost black.

58. Black Odessa Calla Lily

Bouquet of black odessa calla lily
Black odessa calla lily

Black Odessa Calla Lily: Singular and spectacular, this deep-purple, nearly black, flower attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

59. Black Diamond Crape Myrtle

Red Black diamond crape myrtle flower
Black diamond crape myrtle with red flowers

Black Diamond Crape Myrtle: Black Diamond is a variety of dwarf Crape Myrtle with deep purple to black foliage and a number of vibrant flower colors.

Black animals

60. Crow

Black crow
Crow

Crow: This smart black bird is adaptive and well known for its loud “caw.”

61. Black-Billed Magpie

Black-billed magpie
Black-billed magpie

Black-Billed Magpie: Also known as American Magpie, this beautiful bird is black, white, and blue and inhabits western North America.

62. African Black Beetle

Black beetle
Black beetle

African Black Beetle: Usually found under the soil, the African Black Beetle is similar to cockchafers in appearance and occurs early in the year. Although native to the African continent, this black beetle is now present in Oceania as well.

63. Black Rooster Ayam Cemani

Black rooster
Black rooster

Black Rooster Ayam Cemani: A special kind of chicken from Indonesia, with a dominant gene that darkens the beak, feathers, and internal organs of the chicken.

64. Chimpanzee

Black chimpanzee
Black chimpanzee

Chimpanzee: Native to Africa, this great ape is covered in coarse black hair. Only its face, fingers, toes, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet are bare.

65. Black Cat

Black cat with yellow eyes

Black Cat: It is a domestic cat that is black in nature, with dark fur.

66. Common Hill Myna

Black common hill myna
Black common hill myna

Common Hill Myna: This stunning bird has black feathers with a hint of blue and bright orange-yellow patches. It is native to Bangladesh.

67. American Black Bear

Black bear
Black bear

American Black Bear: These are mid-sized bears from North America and have a rich coat in deep shades of black.

68. American Oil Beetle

Black American oil beetle
American oil beetle

American Oil Beetle: This beetle has a soft abdomen and shiny black shell covering most of its body.

69. Black Squirrel

Black squirrel
Black squirrel

Black Squirrel: This little black animal shares the same natural range as its non-melanistic counterparts, and is mostly found in Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States.

70. Black Wolf

Black wolf
Black wolf

Black Wolf: This melanistic color variant of the gray wolf is more common in southern Canada and Minnesota.

71. Great Cormorant

Black Great Cormorant
Great cormorant

Great Cormorant: Also known as the black shag in New Zealand, this seabird is a widespread member of the cormorant family.

72. Siamang Gibbon

Black Siamang Gibbon
Siamang Gibbon

Siamang Gibbon: Native to southeastern Asia, this ape species is covered in black fur.

73. Seal

Gray Seal
Seal

Seal: Dark brown and black-colored seals are more common in warmer climates.

74. Great Mormon

Black butterfly
Black butterfly

Great Mormon: Also known as Papilio Memnon, the great Mormons are beautiful black butterflies native to southern Asia. They belong to the swallowtail family. Many people believe butterfly colors have powerful meanings.

75. Black Panther

Black panther
Black Panther

Black Panther: According to a knowledgeable and dear reader, Black Panthers are leopards and jaguars with a condition called melanism, a fluke of genetics that causes the body to produce an excessive amount of melanin. The animal in the photo is a leopard.

76. Valais Black Neck

Valais blackneck goat
Valais blackneck goat

Valais Black Neck: It’s a hardy domestic Switzerland goat (from the canton of Valais), and it can survive any weather.

77. Black Banded Owl

Black banded owl
Black banded owl

Black Banded Owl: This black and gray owl is native to South America and is considered a midsized neotropical bird.

78. Galloway Cattle

Black Galloway cattle
Galloway cattle

Galloway Cattle: An agelong breed of beef cattle from Scotland, named after its origin–the Galloway region of Scotland.

79. Gorilla

Black gorilla
Gorilla

Gorilla: This species of apes is mostly herbivorous, and it is found in the forest of central Sub-Saharan Africa.

80. Pacific Black Duck

Pacific black duck
Pacific black duck

Pacific Black Duck: This dabbling duck is native to Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, and a number of islands in the southwestern Pacific.

81. Black Colobus

Black mantled guereza monkey
Black mantled guereza

Black Colobus: A species of the Old World monkey from the genus Colobus family.

82. Raven

Black raven
Raven

Raven: This is the largest of all perching birds, black in color and belonging to the Genus Corvus (one of the various larger-bodied species).

83. Black Grass Snake

Black grass snake
Black grass snake

Black Grass Snake: This Eurasian snake is non-venomous and its color may range from gray to black, with darker colors being more common in colder regions.

84. Red-Winged Blackbird

Red-winged blackbird
Red-winged blackbird

Red-Winged Blackbird: A unique passerine bird mostly found in North America and Central America

85. Black Swan

Black Swan
Black Swan

Black Swan: A large waterbird of the swan species inhabits the southeast and southwest regions of Australia.

86. Black Vulture

Black vulture
Black vulture

Black Vulture: A medium-sized dark bird of the New World vulture family.

87. Panda

Black and white panda
Black and white panda

Panda: Known as the giant panda, the panda bear hails from south-central China.

88. Cayuga Duck

Black Cayuga Duck
Cayuga Duck

Cayuga Duck: This duck’s plumage is black with iridescent beetle-green hints, however, some feathers may whiten with age.

89. Tasmanian Devil

Black Tasmanian devil
Tasmanian devil

Tasmanian Devil: This endangered animal has the size of a small dog and has black fur with irregular white patches on the chest.

90. European Starling

Black starling
Black starling

European Starling: A mid-sized passerine bird from the starling family known commonly as the starling in the British Isles.

91. Common Grackle

Black grackle
Black grackle

Common Grackle: It is a long-tailed blackbird with a shiny iridescent body and is native to North America.

92. Common Swift

Black common swift
Common swift

Common Swift: This medium-sized blackish-brown bird is a migratory species that runs from Portugal to West China in the summer and central to southern Africa in the winter.

93. Western Capercaillie

Black capercaillie bird
Black capercaillie

Western Capercaillie: It is the largest of all living grouse species, commonly known as the Eurasian capercaillie.

94. Black Drongo

Black drongo
Black drongo

Black Drongo: A small Asian passerine bird that belongs to the drongo family Dicruridae.

95. Black Bug

Black bug
Black bug

Black Bug: They are a typical kind of insect that saps plants and render them futile.

96. Penguin

Black, white, and gray penguins
Black, white, and gray penguins

Penguin: A unique species of flightless marine birds found just in the Southern Hemisphere.

97. Black Garden Ant

Black ant

Black Garden Ant: A formicine ant belonging to subgenus Lasius species, otherwise known as the common black ant.

98. Blackfly

Black fly
Black fly

Blackfly: Among the black things is this blood feasting fly with translucent wings, sturdy legs, and antennae.

99. Red-Bellied Black Snake

Red-bellied Black Snake
Red-bellied Black Snake

Red-Bellied Black Snake: The Australian black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) is a venomous snake of the family Elapidae. It is one of the most dangerous black things in nature.

100. Black Caiman

Black caiman
Black caiman

Black Caiman: A special kind of enormous crocodile belonging to the largest existing members of the Alligatorida family.

101. Varanus Salvator

Black varanus salvator lizard
Black varanus salvator

Varanus Salvator: A large varanid lizard known as the water monitor that originates from South and Southeast Asia.

102. Black Moor

Black Moor Goldfish
Black Moor Goldfish

Black Moor Goldfish: These distinctive fish belong in a group known as Fancy Goldfish. Besides their unique color, black moors have large telescopic eyes that set them apart from other goldfish.

Things that are black in nature

While this list of naturally black things isn’t as long as many other lists we have here on the site, it gives you a pretty good idea of animals, foods, and black things there are out there.

Did we forget something? Let us know in the comments!

We promise to continually update this article as we come across more naturally black things.

Did you enjoy reading this list of things that are black in nature? Then be sure to share it with a friend who might like it too!

Darrin Scott Johnson

Tuesday 11th of July 2023

Black Lotus

Sienna

Monday 24th of April 2023

Black horse (a breed that is usally black is a Friesian)

Quan

Monday 21st of November 2022

Sea monkeys are black

Phyllis

Thursday 4th of August 2022

#12 mentioned black diamonds but you didn't show us any.

Phyllis

Thursday 4th of August 2022

Eggplant or aubergine in french. Thank you, beautifully photographed.