What did dinosaur really look like?

Does anyone on earth see a living dinosaur? No. Dinosaurs lived on earth millions of
years ago. They had ruled the earth for about 165 million years, and then they
mysteriously died out. No one exactly knows what happened to them at that time.
Scientists speculate that an asteroid impacted our earth and wiped out the huge
animal. Although not everyone agrees on this view, most people do believe
dinosaurs became extinct suddenly.

What do dinosaurs look like? Do we have any clue what their skin look like? After
dinosaurs died, their body would be preserved under earth. Their skin decayed out
without any trace, but their bones might become fossils and preserved until today.
Archeologists have discovered many intact dinosaur bones. Through these bones,
scientists managed to reconstruct the appearance of their body. Therefore, we know
approximately how big a dinosaur is. Their skin is hard to determine, but scientists
can guess what their skin would be look like. Dinosaurs were reptiles. All reptiles
have the same ancestor. Their skins should be approximately the same. From the
skin of Lizard and Crocodile, scientists imagine that dinosaurs should have the same
kind of skin.

The problems may not be so simple. Snakes also belongs to reptile, but there are
many colorful snakes. There is no reason the dinosaur should be only as gray as
showed in the movie Jurassic Park. The first mammal appeared on earth about 83
million years ago. They have evolved into all kinds of colorful animals. The dinosaur
had existed for about 165 million years. There is no reason why dinosaurs shouldnt
be more colorful than the creatures today.

Charles R. Knight was the first artist who brought dinosaurs to life. Actually he was a
wildlife illustrator. Unlike his counterpart, he used the similar techniques to bring
extinct animals to life. The paintings made by him were mostly considered artistic
works. The dinosaurs in his paintings were mostly smooth skinned but recent
discovery showed that they may had proto-feathers.

In the late 1960s, scientists made a key discovery: Birds descended from dinosaurs.
This discovery makes us think more about the appearance of dinosaurs. Did
dinosaur have feathers? A recent discovery in China showed that a fossil of a
duck-size Dromaeosaur at least have three different feathers. This dinosaur doesnt
have wings so why did they have feathers? Some one speculates that they had
them for keeping warmth. Can you imagine a T. Rex covered by feathers? That
would be too lovely for such a furious animal!