Colour, derived primarily from melanin and/or carotenoid pigments, is integral to many
aspects of behaviour in living vertebrates, including social signalling, sexual display and …

Melanin, and other pigments have recently been shown to preserve over geologic time
scales, and are found in several different organisms. This opens up the possibility of …

Fossil feathers, hairs and eyes are regularly preserved as carbonized traces comprised of
masses of micrometre-sized bodies that are spherical, oblate or elongate in shape. For a …

In living organisms, color patterns, behavior, and ecology are closely linked. Thus, detection
of fossil pigments may permit inferences about important aspects of ancient animal ecology …

Preserved melanin pigments have been discovered in fossilised integumentary appendages
of several amniote lineages (fishes, frogs, snakes, marine reptiles, non‐avialan dinosaurs …

Round to elongate microbodies associated with fossil vertebrate soft tissues were
interpreted as microbial traces until 2008, when they were re‐described as remnant …

The discovery of fossil melanosomes has resulted in a wealth of research over the last 7
years, notably the reconstruction of colour in dinosaurs and fossil mammals. In spite of these …

Melanosomes (melanin-bearing organelles) are common in the fossil record occurring as
dense packs of globular microbodies. The organic component comprising the melanosome …

Melanin and other pigments are now well known to be important in exceptional preservation
of soft tissues in vertebrates and other animals. Because pigments confer coloration and …

Melanins are widespread pigments in vertebrates, with important roles in visual signaling,
UV protection, and homeostasis. Fossil evidence of melanin and melanin-bearing …