Researchers from Bristol University have used small structures preserved in fossilized skin to reconstruct the color and camouflage pattern of an ancient dinosaur species known as Psittacosaurus, a recent study in the journal Current Biology reports.
The extinct reptile was a small herbivore with a parrot-like beak and bristles on its tail. It roamed China’s dense forests some 120 million years ago and belonged to the same group of horned dinosaurs that includes Triceratops.
This recent study shows that the creature was mainly brown, but had a lighter underside on its belly and tail. This created a pattern known as countershading, which many animals today use to hide in their environment. Psittacosaurus was small — no bigger than a Labrador retriever — and was hunted by the larger predators of the Cretaceous. As a result, it most likely evolved the coloration to hide among the dense foliage.
“Countershading works by counter illuminating cues to a three-dimensional shape made by shadows on a body,” lead author Jakob Vinther, a paleontologist at Bristol University, told Gizmodo. “By making those areas usually in shade lighter, an animal can make itself less conspicuous.”
The species also had a heavily pigmented face, and its legs were striped on the inside and spotted on the outside, Reuters reports. Such a distinct pattern shows the dinosaur lived in the forest that had scattered light created by a thick canopy.
A life-size, 3D model of Psittacosaurus. (Image: Jakob Vinther, University of Bristol and Bob Nicholls (Paleocreations.com))
Psittacosaurus is one of the most studied dinosaurs on Earth. It has hundreds of individual fossils and has been analyzed dozens of times. However, this is the first time researchers have been able to determine its color.
Researchers made the discovery by looking at fossilized organelles known as melanosomes, which stores the pigment melanin in the skin, hair, and feathers of vertebrate animals.
Psittacosaurus is the third dinosaur to have its color figured out in this way, but it is the first time scientists have determined a dinosaur’s environment simply based on its color. This method could help researchers learn more from future findings and possibly shed light on other extinct species.
“We predicted that the psittacosaur must have lived in a forest,” said Vinther, according to UPI. “This demonstrates that fossil color patterns can provide not only a better picture of what extinct animals looked like but they can also give new clues about extinct ecologies and habitats.”
Author information
Joseph Scalise
Staff Writer
Joseph Scalise is an experienced writer who has worked for many different online websites across many different mediums. While his background is mainly rooted in sports writing, he has also written and edited guides, ebooks, short stories and screenplays. In addition, he performs and writes poetry, and has won numerous contests. Joseph is a dedicated writer, sports lover and avid reader who covers all different topics, ranging from space exploration to his personal favorite science, microbiology.
|
The post Fossil analysis reveals dinosaur’s coloration appeared first on Science Recorder.