The Real Colours Of A Dinosaur Revealed For The First Time

Readers, meet Anchiornis huxleyi in its true colours, discovered by an international team lead by Li Quanguo of the Beijing Museum of Natural History. Anchiornis huxleyi, here are some readers. And no, you can’t eat them, you oversized chicken, you.

The palaeontology team – who published the results of their study in last issue of Science – obtained 29 melanosomes samples from all over the body of the Anchiornis, comparing them to the feathers of modern birds. The result was an accurate map of the animal’s colours, the first true-to-life picture of a dinosaur.

Now, I only wonder how you taste like, Anchiornis, properly brined and cooked slowly in a thick pan, with some carrots, potatoes and shallots. [National Geographic]