Dinosaur

Gray dinosaurs were artistic convention. Since 2010, scientists have inferred real colors by studying fossil melanosomes, pigment organelles preserved in feathers. The first result showed *Sinosauropteryx* had an orange-and-white striped tail; dozens of species have since gained color.

Humans see three colors; the mantis shrimp sees 16. Most mammals see only two, having lost color receptors during the dinosaur era as nocturnal creatures. Primates alone regained a third through a mutation that helped spot ripe fruit among leaves.