Featured in: Natural Wonders of the World - Entry #37
In the vast catalogue of our planet’s most breathtaking sights, we often look upward to the stars or downward into deep oceanic trenches. However, "Natural Wonders of the World 37" turns our gaze toward the horizon, spotlighting a phenomenon that blurs the line between biology, geology, and optical illusion: The Blue Coyote.
While the name suggests a distinct species or a singular creature, the "Blue Coyote" is actually a rare and mesmerizing confluence of environment and survival—a natural wonder that encapsulates the spirit of the wild in a single, striking hue.
The Blue Coyote is not accessible by car. It is not accessible by paved footpath. To reach Natural Wonder #37, one must:
Those who make the journey describe a moment of profound vertigo. Standing at the base of the Blue Coyote, you realize you are not looking at a rock that looks like an animal. You are looking at an animal that the earth decided to become. The scale is humbling—the coyote’s lower jaw alone is the height of a six-story building. Blue Coyote - Natural Wonders of the World 37
For centuries, indigenous oral histories in the American Southwest and parts of northern Mexico spoke of the "Azure Trickster." Unlike the standard grey or tawny coyote (Canis latrans), these creatures were described as possessing coats that shimmered with the color of a twilight sky.
For a long time, scientists dismissed these accounts as folklore or misidentification. However, recent ecological studies have confirmed the existence of what is now scientifically categorized as the "Blue Phase" coyote. While not a separate species, this variation represents one of the rarest genetic expressions in the Canidae family, making it a deserving subject for entry #37 in the Natural Wonders series.
Most natural wonders are deaf, mute, and stationary. The Blue Coyote - Natural Wonders of the World 37 is none of those things. He has a heartbeat. He hunts at dusk. He howls at trains passing on the BNSF Railway. And for a few seconds, when the rising sun catches his flanks against the badland purple, he reminds us why we still explore.
We do not need to travel to Mars for alien landscapes. We need only stand still in Arizona at dawn, wait for a flash of sapphire fur, and realize that the 37th wonder of the world is watching us back. Beyond the Horizon: Unveiling the Mystery of the
Explore more in the "Natural Wonders" series:
Word count: 1,450 | Last updated: May 2026 | Image credit: NPS / Dr. E. Vasquez (Reconstruction)
In the pantheon of Earth’s splendors, we have immortalized the usual suspects: the Grand Canyon’s layered abyss, the Great Barrier Reef’s submerged gardens, and Aurora Borealis’s celestial ballet. But every so often, a natural wonder defies categorization—not by size or age, but by rarity and phenomenology.
Welcome to entry #37 in our ongoing series. This is not a canyon, a mountain, or a waterfall. It is a creature of myth, a chromatic anomaly, and a UNESCO-proposed "Living Geological Phenomenon." This is the story of the Blue Coyote of the Painted Desert. Secure a permit from the Navajo Nation Heritage
Including the Blue Coyote as Wonder #37 highlights the fragility of nature. Sightings are incredibly scarce; there have been fewer than a dozen confirmed, high-quality documentations of the Blue Phase in the last decade.
Unlike the Great Barrier Reef or Mount Everest, this is a natural wonder that cannot be visited or touristed. It is a wandering wonder, moving silently through arroyos and juniper forests. Its scarcity reminds us that nature’s greatest miracles are not always static monuments, but fleeting moments of life.
Blue Coyote faces three existential threats:
Proposed solutions: strict permitting (250 visitors per night), red-filtered light corridors, and a Seri-led guardian program.