14 DAY TRIAL // With the help of X-rays, paleontologists have determined that Archaeopteryx, a so-called dinobird, used to sport black and white plumage.
The researchers analyzed fossil remains belonging to these creatures and used an X-ray beam to pin down whatever traces of pigment have survived the test of time.
They eventually reached the conclusion that these dinobirds had pale feathers whose tip was slightly darker.
“The fact that these compounds have been preserved in-place for 150 million years is extraordinary.”
“Together, these chemical traces show that the feather was light in colour with areas of darker pigment along one edge and on the tip,” said Dr. Phil Manning, as cited on the official website for the University of Manchester.
Archaeopteryx is believed to have evolved from theropods (i.e. carnivorous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex). Paleontologists say that it was a transitional species between dinosaurs and birds.