Modern animals display an amazing array of colors, ranging from beautiful reds and golds to blacks and browns, as well as violets, blues, and iridescent colors. Given the impressive diversity of colors in modern animals, it stands to reason that extinct animals may have been just as vibrant. In this presentation, Dr. Jennifer Peteya will discuss how we can reconstruct the colors of some extinct dinosaurs using melanosomes, organelles that house the ubiquitous pigment melanin, which is preserved in the remnants of their feathers. Reconstructing the color of extinct animals helps us to understand better the anatomy, physiology, and ecology of animals that died hundreds of millions of years ago.
Dr. Jennifer Peteya has been a paleontologist in the Biological and Health Sciences Department at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, since the fall of 2023. Her background is a mix of geology and biology. Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, and a Master of Science degree in earth sciences from The Ohio State University, where she studied preserved trilobite guts. For her doctoral work, Jennifer switched gears and earned a Ph.D. in Integrated Biosciences from the University of Akron in 2018. Her doctoral research focused on the evolution of melanins and the reconstruction of the melanin-based colors of extinct animals. Jennifer also has four cats, a husband, and a newborn baby.
This meeting will take place on Zoom. To receive the Zoom link, you will need to register for the event.
NHSM’s Fossil Club is a group of novice and more experienced collectors who meet to share knowledge and discuss fossil identification, fossil locations, and other fossil-related topics. Monthly meetings feature guest speakers both from within the club and from outside organizations. We also strive to schedule frequent collection trips to various locations.
Although you don’t need to be a member to attend a meeting, membership gives you access to additional experiences. An annual NHSM membership is $35 for individuals, $50 for families; Fossil Club membership is an additional $5 for individuals and $10 for families.
If you are not yet a member of NHSM, click here to join. When you join as a new member, you can add the club membership(s) of your choice to your registration. Current NHSM members who wish to join any clubs should email the Community Coordinator at rbaldwin@marylandnature.org.