What color were the dinosaurs?
Nobody knows! Scientists think that some dinosaur skin texture was like modern reptiles' skin. But no one has ever found any dinosaur skin that would show its color or pattern. By studying how modern animals use color to survive, we can imagine how dinosaurs may have looked.

Patterns are also common in nature. A tiger's stripes helps it hide in long grasses. Many brightly colored coral reef fish don't seem to blend in, but their bold patterns actually help camouflage them!

Color me invisible!
Many animals need to hide to hunt or keep from being eaten. Click to find out how these animals' colors have evolved to blend in with the colors of their habitat!

Low Contrast = Low Profile
Good hiding colors have low contrast. Contrast is how much something stands out or blends in. Some fish use low contrast to hide from hunters.

Keep it in the Color Family
Another way to hide using low contrast is to have colors from the same color family as the habitat. Colors belong to "families" called warm, cool, and neutral.