Saurolophus osborni

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Time: Late Cretaceous (~70 million years ago)

Region: Alberta, Canada

Formation: Horseshoe Canyon Formation

Coloration Data

On the fossilized caudal skin of this dinosaur, scales of differing dimensions are arranged into irregular, mosaic-like clusters. Based on this structural arrangement, it is hypothesized that this species bore a mottled or spotted coloration. This inference is supported by comparative morphology in extant reptiles, where shifts in color pattern frequently — though not invariably — correspond to transitions in scale type, size, or surface texture.

Method: Morphological analysis of fossilized integument and scale architecture.

Publications

• Phil R. Bell (2012)
  A study of the skin of Saurolophus from Mongolia and Canada.

Documents and files

• Bell_2012.pdf (PDF)
  Article on the scale morphology of Saurolophus angustirostris and Saurolophus osborni.

Reconstructions

Fossils

Size comparison