๐ This 120-Million-Year-Old Pterosaur Probably Shimmered Like a Hummingbird
Researchers analyzed fossilized pycnofibers from Sinopterus dongi, a tapejarid pterosaur from Early Cretaceous China, and found tightly stacked rod-like melanosomes that simulations show would have produced deep greens and magentas. That is the same structural iridescence found in pigeons and starlings today, predating birds having it by millions of years. The study was posted to bioRxiv in May 2026. Were these colors for camouflage, or were ancient flying reptiles putting on a courtship display?
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