Researchers using specimens from Cincinnati Museum Center’s vertebrate paleontology collections have published the first direct evidence of skin color patterning in sauropod dinosaurs. The study, published in Royal Society Open Science, examined six juvenile Diplodocus specimens excavated from a Late Jurassic site in Montana, dating back approximately 145 to 155 million years.

The team identified fossilized melanosomes (pigment-bearing structures) revealing that the animals had speckled skin patterns resembling those of modern crocodilians. The researchers believe this coloration served as camouflage, protecting juveniles from predators. The exceptional preservation resulted from natural near-mummification after the animals died during a dry season. Scientists used scanning electron microscopy and geochemical analysis on small skin samples.

“The recognition of color patterns in extinct dinosaurs is a relatively recent discovery,” said Glenn Storrs, the Withrow Farny Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at Cincinnati Museum Center. The paper was co-authored by Tess Gallagher, Dan Folkes, Michael Pittman, Tom G. Kaye, Storrs, and Jason Schein. One of the Diplodocus specimens is currently on display in CMC’s Dinosaur Hall.

Source: https://www.cincymuseum.org/press/diplodocus-research-release/