If no one has ever seen a living dinosaur, how was the flesh model of Nigersaurus created?
Paleontological Reconstruction Specialist Tyler Keillor looked at fossilized dinosaur skin impressions and living reptile skin to construct what the scale pattern of Nigersaurus may have looked like. He used large scales around the bony areas of the skull, and smaller scales around the eyes and mouth to accommodate the flexibility needs of those particular areas. A more durable, leathery looking skin was used around the mouth, as it is seen in modern reptiles, for feeding purposes. The coloring of the Nigersaurus flesh model was inspired by a modern lizard.
