News Paleontology

Some pterosaurs may have boasted bold iridescence

Microscopic structures in a fossil suggest the animal had colors that shift with viewing angle

An artist's illustration of two pterosaurs in a Cretaceous landscape. One has outstretched wings and a large blue head crest. Another clings to a tree trunk and has a red and white crest.

Artists have long imagined pterosaurs in vivid hues. A new fossil analysis suggests at least one species really did shimmer in iridescent greens and magentas.

Courtesy of Zhao Chuang

By Taylor Mitchell Brown

Some fossilized filaments are giving Earth’s first flying vertebrates a shiny new makeover. 

At least one species of pterosaur shimmered in iridescent greens and magentas, scientists report May 10 at bioRxiv.org.