Microscopic features discovered in the fossilized skin of sauropods indicate that these colossal dinosaurs might have exhibited colors as vibrant as certain modern birds.

Tess Gallagher, a professor at the University of Bristol in the UK, analyzed sauropod skin fossils estimated to be around 145 million years old, retrieved from the Mother’s Day Quarry in Montana during 2019 and 2022.

While the exact species of the fossil remains uncertain, it is presumed to possibly belong to diplodocus.

The researchers used a scalpel to extract small fragments from the fossil’s four scales, which they investigated with a scanning electron microscope, enabling them to observe cellular details.

Gallagher explained that the skin had been preserved in three dimensions, rather than as mere impressions. Additionally, it exhibited signs of various melanosomes, cellular structures that store melanin, responsible for pigmentation in skin, hair, eyes, and feathers.

“We anticipated finding only minimal melanin traces,” she remarks. “What we uncovered is evidence suggesting sauropods harbored diverse melanosome shapes, which ultimately implies a broad spectrum of color possibilities.”

Every specimen examined by the research team contained melanosomes, primarily in two configurations: rectangular and disc-shaped. Nevertheless, the precise coloration of these sauropods’ skin remains unconfirmed; the structural variety merely indicates potential for numerous shades.

“A diplodocus would have possessed a highly textured exterior showcasing latent color patterns and a wide range of hues,” declared Gallagher.

According to Gallagher, the closest analogy for a disc-shaped structure is the platelet melanosome found in the feathers of contemporary birds. These findings suggest that diplodocus melanosomes might have facilitated the development of various colors. “These creatures could have boasted more striking color patterns, as opposed to the drab gray commonly attributed to ancient fossils.”

Mike Benton, another researcher from the University of Bristol not involved in the study, noted that the shape of the described structures and their preservation suggest they are likely melanosomes.

The researchers are “understandably cautious in their conclusions, but this could represent the first documented instance of colored melanosomes in a sauropod dinosaur,” he remarked.

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