permineralization and mineral replacement · All Facts

permineralization and mineral replacement
Most dinosaur “bones” on display are fossils formed by permineralization and mineral replacement — original bone pores and tissue swapped or infilled by silica and other minerals.
SrcU.S. National Park Service

Next evidence →chestnut to reddish-brownFossilized melanosomes in Jehol theropods show Sinosauropteryx's dark tail stripes were likely chestnut to reddish-brown — not unknown color forever.

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More in Dino

eutherian mammals and precocial birdsBone histology shows dinosaurs grew at accelerated rates versus living reptiles — large species reached rates comparable to eutherian mammals and precocial birds.
22 metresBrachiosaurus had front legs longer than its hind legs — giving a giraffe-like upward tilt for browsing tall trees; NHM lists it at about 22 metres long.
chestnut to reddish-brownFossilized melanosomes in Jehol theropods show Sinosauropteryx's dark tail stripes were likely chestnut to reddish-brown — not unknown color forever.
0.7 metersCompsognathus is listed by the Natural History Museum at only about 0.7 meters long — one of the smallest known dinosaurs.

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