Prehistoric mammals used dark fur to survive the age of dinosaurs. Study finds no bold stripes, striking spots, or golden coats. Prehistoric mammals looked nothing like the ones we know today. Instead, these ancient creatures were cloaked in dark fur from snout to tail. These mammals blended into the shadows to avoid being eaten by dinosaurs at night using their monochrome coats as camouflage.
Using a scanning electron microscope, researchers examined melanosomes which were the pigment bearing structures in the hair of 116 present-day mammals, connecting their shapes and sizes to the colors they produce. Researchers used statistical analysis to predict the colors they would produce after categorizing the known melanosomes according to their physical characteristics. The researchers found that melanosomes were responsible for brighter colors such as reds and oranges, while elongated melanosomes typically generated blacks and browns.
The fossils were chosen for their well-preserved detail, capturing intricate impressions of fur and individual hairs, while also representing a diverse range of early mammals and mammalia-forms. While mammals today display a wide variety of pigment-bearing structures, those found in the six protomammals which were the evolutionary ancestors of modern mammals, fell within a narrow range linked to dark grays and browns, researchers found. These findings indicate these ancient creatures had a uniformly dark coat across their bodies. The fossils included rodents, shrews, and moles, which also had similar dull and dark fur.
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https://interestingengineering.com/science/early-mammals-dark-fur-camouflage-study
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https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01109-6
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/prehistoric-mammals-dark-fur-was-key-to-survival
