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Teal

physical science Maturity 5-7 Next article →

Teal is a dark cyan color that sits between blue and green. It is a very special shade used in many different ways. You can create this color by mixing cyan with black or gray. On a computer screen, it works a bit differently. The screen makes teal by making cyan less bright. It is one of the first 16 web colors used in coding.

Teal male (54310739035)
Teal male (54310739035)

This color comes from a real animal in nature. The Eurasian teal is a type of duck. The male duck has a bright stripe on its head. This stripe is a structural color. This means the color looks different depending on the angle of the light. You might even see this same shade inside an iceberg.

Eurasian teal (cropped)
Eurasian teal (cropped)
The underwater surface structures of an iceberg in Svalbard
The underwater surface structures of an iceberg in Svalbard

People have used the name teal for a long time. The first time it was used as a color name in English was in 1917. The word comes from the Middle English word tele. This word is similar to words used in Dutch and Middle Low German. In 1927, people started using the name teal blue. This is a medium shade with more blue in it.

Eurasian teal (cropped)
Eurasian teal (cropped)

Many places and groups use teal today. The flag of Sri Lanka has a teal stripe to represent Muslims. The flag of Hungary and the flag of Mozambique also use teal stripes. In India, the Kochi Metro uses teal as its official color. Some people use teal ribbons to show support for ovarian cancer awareness. In Australia, teal is used by independent political candidates.

Flag of Sri Lanka
Flag of Sri Lanka

Teal is also very popular in sports and movies. Many teams in North America used teal for uniforms in the 1990s. The Charlotte Hornets and the San Jose Sharks use teal colors. Filmmakers often use a look called orange and teal. This helps make the colors in a movie stand out. You might even see teal in your favorite gummy bears.

Flag of Sri Lanka
Flag of Sri Lanka
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🖼️ Images & Media (4)
File:Eurasian teal (cropped).jpg
Eurasian teal (cropped).jpg
File:Teal male (54310739035).jpg
Teal male (54310739035).jpg
File:The underwater surface structures of an iceberg in Svalbard.jpg
The underwater surface structures of an...
File:Flag of Sri Lanka.svg
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg
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