We were wrong about the color of the dinosaur skin

Scientists have long been confused about how to reproduce dinosaur skin color, according to a new study.

Previously, the color of dinosaurs was assumed that the samples of melanin found in fossils were derived from the animal's skin, from which scientists created the image of dinosaurs with similar colors.

However, College Cork's new research shows that this view is wrong, when the many sources of pigment on fossils are not the skin of the dead creature.

Tyrannosaurus can have different colors than we know today - (Photo: Irish Times).

Dr. Maria McNamara, head of the research team, said: "It is extremely important that we understand the origin of the melanosomes in fossils if we want to accurately reproduce the colors of the animals. ancient".

The team used the latest microscopes and chemical techniques to study the internal tissues of modern frog species, with the result that there are many melanosomes within the organ.

Professor Mike Benton, from the University of Bristol, said: "This means that the melanosomes inside the body make up most of the preserved melanosomes in some fossils."

Thus, the skin color that the previous dinosaurs regenerated may be wrong, because it may be the color of their organs. But new research also shows differences between melanosomes from internal organs and skin.

"The size and shape of skin melanosome is often different from the melanosomes in internal organs," Dr. McNamara said. "This will allow us to reproduce more accurately the original colors of ancient vertebrates."