What Color were Dinosaurs?

When I was a kid, dinosaurs came in two colors; Brown and Green. Once in a great while some "cutting edge" artist would take the bold steps of making them brownish green, or greenish brown, depending on how daring they were. Even as a kid I could not understand why the artists and toy manufacturers made everything prehistoric look so bland.

In my opinion, as humble as it may be, I have always looked at modern animals as "windows" into the past. The colors and behaviors of modern life would have been no different than creatures from the Mesozoic, Paleozoic or Cenozoic. Color has always played a very important role in the lives of animals. Whether they use their color for camouflage, species recognition, or as a display to threaten rivals or attract mates, dinosaurs would have used color just the same.

Look at modern day animals. The variety of colors are staggering. The stripes of zebras are designed to make it difficult for predators to "zero in" on them. So why wouldn't the duck billed Hadrosaurs have this same coloration? They were being hunted just like the modern zebra, so they too would need defensive coloration to make it harder for predators to pick one out of the herd. Giraffes, cows, deer, antelope and nearly every other herbivorous animal on earth has some form of protective camouflage to help hide their body or break up their silhouette.

Predators are no different! Look at the variety of camo that modern predators have. Tigers, Leopards, Cheetahs, snakes and lizards have some of the most fascinating coloration in the animal kingdom. And why do they have it? To help them hide from their potential prey, that's why. So why would predatory dinosaurs look any different? They didn't! They would have used the same coloration to help them blend in with their surroundings. I believe that Tyrannosaurus was stripped like a tiger, Raptors were spotted like cheetahs, and Allosaurus was colored like a leopard. Certainly these color suggestions are only that, a suggestion. Because color does not fossilize we have no way of knowing for sure what color dinosaurs really were, but using modern animals as comparisons gives us an opportunity to submit ideas.

One of the most exciting things to happen to paleontology has been the vast numbers of artists who are doing incredible work in bringing dinosaurs "back to life". These paleo-artists have shed the idea that all dinosaurs are simply brown or green, and have started using color more liberally. I am so glad that they are doing what they do, because it makes prehistoric life look much more exciting while still maintaining the scientific accuracy of their work.

Two of my favorite artists today are John Sibbick and Mark Hallett. Their work is absolutely incredible, and both appear to use modern animal coloration and apply it to their subjects. There are so many awesome artists out there, but these two are my all time favorites when it comes to drawing prehistoric scenes. I hope you take the time to visit their websites. I think you'll be amazed!

The next time you go to the zoo, try to image prehistoric animals as having some of the same coloration and patterns that you'll see while you are there! And if you plan on drawing dinosaurs, please put away the green and brown for a while. There are lots of other colors to choose from!