In a previous post, I talked a little bit about the “raptor” dinosaurs and how they had feathers. Here is a drawing of Archaeopteryx, long reputed to be the earliest-known bird. It lived during the late Jurassic Period in what is now central Europe. I read somewhere that Archaeopteryx likely had black feathers, so it is portrayed has having dark feathers with white tips and a white belly. The only colored part is its eyelids, which are red – I put that in there just to give it some visual contrast.
I read today that the original color analysis of Archaeopteryx’s feathers was incorrect. It turns out that the wings were actually light colored with dark tips, not the other way around. Oh well. If you want to read the online National Geographic article, here it is:
Categories: Paleontology, Uncategorized
DINOSAURS AND BARBARIANS 
Unfortunately one has to be a subscriber to read the National Geographic article, but it’s amazing what we can determine from fossils! 🙂