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avatar_Halichoeres

What color were Mesozoic mammals?

Started by Halichoeres, March 27, 2025, 07:27:48 PM

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Halichoeres

March 27, 2025, 07:27:48 PM
Mostly black, if this paper is to be believed. The authors sampled a bunch of mammaliform fossils for different kinds of melanosomes. They found lots and lots of them for eumelanin (blacks and dark browns) and pretty much no evidence of melanosomes for pheomelanin (yellows and light or reddish browns).

Giving rise to this reconstruction of five genera by Zhao Chuang:


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