Sinosauropteryx was a theropod dinosaur – in the same group as its massive cousin Tyrannosaurus, but much smaller. But they showed that many dinosaurs were feathered instead of scaled, and prompted scientists to probe what color they were and why dinosaurs had feathers in the first place. They found that the animals had a “mask” of dark feathers that wrapped over the eyes, and connected over the top of the skull to more dark feathers on its back. While the dinosaurs’ backs were covered in dark feathers, their bellies were probably white. Fiann SmithwickTo find out, the scientists created three-dimensional models of the dinosaur’s coloration pattern and photographed it under different lighting conditions.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 26, 2017 15:56 UTC