By: Nina Huang

Have you ever been to a dinosaur museum and thought to yourself, “Wow, Pterodactyls are quite interesting!” Well, the famous pterodactyl is one of the many flying beasts that used to take the skies of this Earth. You might have also examined a pterosaur. Pterosaurs are ancient birds that could fly, and they are not exactly classified as dinosaurs. You might have noticed that some pterosaurs have feathers, and wondered why they do.

Purposes for Prehistoric Feathers

Scientists are now saying that these birds once had feathers. Their feathers had different purposes such as flight, insulation, warmth, and communication. Some scientists say that these feathers might have been passed on from any similar species with the same feature.

Colors and Shapes of Pterosaur Feathers

Scientists have figured out how to determine what color the specific feathers were. Melanosomes are the shapes of feathers and scientists have been able to match shapes with colors. For example, the rounder feathers were yellow or reddish-brown colors. The longer feathers were more likely to be darker colors. Well, now you have more knowledge about pterosaurs’ feathers, so next time you examine a pterosaur, you will know how to identify them.