Fossilized Skin

Even at high levels of magnification attainable with the scanning electron microscope, our embryonic dinosaur skin looks similar to the scaly skin of other reptiles.

Basically, the skin is formed by a blanket of round, scale-like knobs of similar size. Occasionally a large knob appears in the center of a rose shaped pattern of smaller knobs, or the smaller knobs are crossed by a triple row of larger knobs.

Folds in the skin indicate that it was not closely attached to the muscles and bones.