Harpel's discovery made it possible for them to pinpoint the Mount Laurel Formation, which was deposited below a shallow sea, in which sharks and now - extinct marine reptiles called mosasaurs also swam, about 75 million years ago. (scientificamerican.com)
These early mosasaurs went on to evolve into fully marine forms up to 15 metres long. (newscientist.com)
And by tracing the remains of pigments in fossils, called melanosomes, scientists have in recent years begun to breathe new life into the dun - colored relicts, discovering the Technicolor hues in prehistoric birds» wings and the clever shading that veiled ancient mosasaurs from predators. (sciencemag.org)