Skin pigmentation provides evidence of convergent melanism in extinct marine reptiles

Johan Lindgren (), Peter Sjövall, Ryan M. Carney, Per Uvdal, Johan A. Gren, Gareth Dyke, Bo Pagh Schultz, Matthew D. Shawkey, Kenneth R. Barnes and Michael J. Polcyn
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Johan Lindgren: Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
Peter Sjövall: SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Chemistry, Materials and Surfaces, SE-501 15 Borås, Sweden
Ryan M. Carney: Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, USA
Per Uvdal: MAX-IV laboratory, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
Johan A. Gren: Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
Gareth Dyke: Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
Bo Pagh Schultz: MUSERUM, Havnevej 14, 7800 Skive, Denmark
Matthew D. Shawkey: Integrated Bioscience Program, University of Akron
Kenneth R. Barnes: Mosasaur Ranch Museum
Michael J. Polcyn: Southern Methodist University

Nature, 2014, vol. 506, issue 7489, 484-488

Abstract: Dark melanin pigment was detected in the fossilized skin of three distantly related marine reptiles (a leatherback turtle, mosasaur and ichthyosaur); benefits of thermoregulation and/or crypsis may have contributed to this melanisation, which therefore has implications for our understanding of how these animals may have lived.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/nature12899

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