No one ever really notices the color of dinosaurs in illustrations or movies do they? They are varying shades of green, grey, brown or even blue. But did you ever wonder how the movie makers, illustrators and others came up with the skin color of dinosaurs? It's not like the fossils that are left around are in living color. The bones that have been dug up and reassembled in museums all over the world don't give any indication of color. Is it just someone's imagination that a brontosaurus is grey and a Tyrannosaurus Rex is green? Not exactly
Some fossilized remains contained traces of melanin, so scientists were able to guess at what colors they may have been. Fossils that indicate feathered dinos also contained trace evidence that suggested the feathers could have been brown, black red or white. So, without any real evidence either way, it's entirely possible that a pink or purple dinosaur could have existed. Check out the video below and to hear paleontologist Jack Horner, the technical advisor for all the Jurassic Park movies, talk about dinosaur colors and how the movie makers decide what works.
