Early Mammals Had Uniform Dark Coats, Study Finds

Cosmos Science

Center

Factuality

Ownership

Mammal ancestors that lived with dinosaurs all had dark brown or grey fur

A new study looking at fossilised structures inside cells hints at our mammal ancestors’ nocturnal past when they lurked in the shadows of dinosaurs. Late Cretaceous mammal Sunnyodon notleyi. Credit: FunkMonk (Michael B. H.) via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). The research, published in the journal Science, involved a comparative analysis of fossilised melanosomes – organelles inside cells which dictate pigments in the eyes and skin of animals…

Phys.org

Center

Factuality

Ownership

Melanosome patterns in Mesozoic mammals suggest they had dark, uniformly dull fur coloring

An international team of paleontologists, geoscientists and biologists has found via analysis of melanosome patterns in fossilized Mesozoic mammals, that they most likely had dark, uniformly dull fur coloring. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how they created a predictive model to analyze melanosome patterns found in fossilized fur samples.

Zeit Online

Lean Left

Factuality

Ownership

Here you will find information on the topic "Tarnlook in the animal kingdom". Read now "Single brown instead of colorful: Mammals once looked like this.

NRC Handelsblad

Lean Left

Factuality

Ownership

Paleontology: For a long time, it was considered impossible to determine the color of fossil species. But it turns out to be possible. Smooth, dark...

Popular Science

Center

Factuality

Ownership

Early mammals were all one color, study suggests

Their fur may not have been flashy, but it served a purpose.

Science News

Center

Factuality

Ownership

Dark coats may have helped the earliest mammals hide from hungry dinosaurs

During the age of dinosaurs, early mammals probably lacked the stripes and spots of their modern relatives, having uniformly dark, drab coats.