Thanks to films like Jurassic Park, we tend to assume that dinosaurs were mostly dark green, grey or brown in colour. The idea of stripy dinosaurs, or those with bright colours, seemed the stuff of stories or family theatre shows. However, research in the past 20 years has shown that many of these prehistoric creatures were much more flamboyant than we thought.

In 1996, the first fossilised dinosaur feathers were discovered. This began to revolutionise the way we think about dinosaurs. Then in 2006 a scientist called Jakob Vinther noticed that what had been mistaken for bacteria in the feathers was in fact melanosomes - microscopic blobs of pigment that colour hair, skin, eyes and feathers. Different colours have different shaped melanosomes, which means scientists could revise their idea of what colours dinosaurs were. Here, we explore some of the most beautiful.

Microraptor

Microraptor was one such feathered dinosaur and is now known to have been an iridescent blue-black colour. Its feathers would be similar to the darker feathers on a magpie, meaning in the right light they would have blue and greenish hues. Scientists are unsure why the dinosaur had this colouring, but other feathered dinosaurs are believed to have been primarily black too, and it could be to do with where they lived. 

Sinosauropteryx

Scientists used Sinosauropteryx to work out the first ever colour pattern of a dinosaur. This small, meat-eating reptile had a covering of thin, hair-like feathers that were red-brown. It also had dark and light bands on its tail, which helped to camouflage it. 

Psittacosaurus

While Psittachosaurus was the brown colour that we often associate with dinosaurs, it had a very specific colour pattern that helped it to blend into its environment. This creature had a lighter underside and a darker back, a common arrangement called countershading. Its colours led scientists to surmise that Psittacosaurus lived in forests.

Borealopelta

Borealopelta - a type of ankylosaur - was found by Dr Vinther to have a reddish pigment to its skin. It too had countershading, meaning that even at 1.3 tonnes in weight, it likely had to hide from predators. 

Colour limitations

Despite the breakthroughs in colour, there are missing pieces to the puzzle of how the dinosaurs really looked. The pigments that have been found in dinosaur fossils are only the ones that have survived; brighter colours in today’s species are created by organic ‘carotenoid’ pigments, which rarely get preserved in fossils. It may be that many prehistoric creatures had beautifully coloured crests or frills that, unless scientists discover a way to find traces of the pigments, will remain hidden. 

See dinosaurs in all their glory

If you would like to learn more about your favourite dinosaurs, and see them in their colourful glory, don’t miss Dinosaur World Live. This Olivier Award-winning production is officially one of the best family shows in the UK, introducing audiences to these wonderful creatures using intricate puppetry. Search ‘family theatre near me’ to find out if the show is playing at your local venue, and book your tickets before they become extinct!