Stegosaurus: Why always green and orange?

[Dan]

While browsing through some companies' interpretations of the roofed reptile, it occurred to me that many of them have one thing in common: their color scheme. After studying several others, I was startled to find that many companies have utilized this very same color scheme, consisting of orange plates on a green-bodied stegosaur. The first time I remember seeing this color scheme was in Walking With Dinosaurs. Has WwD influenced other reconstructions to such an enormous extent, or are there forces at work here beyond our comprehension?

For your consideration, I submit the following comparative compilation.


Procon CollectA


[ Cue Twlight Zone Theme ]

[kuni]

Well, try designing a few others that are aesthetically pleasing and suitably naturalistic. It's not that easy.

[kuni]

Oh, and Kinto's Favorite Stego has the same scheme.

[Dan]

Really? It looks yellow, to me. And the desktop model doesn't have orange plates.

[kevin]

There are many with a different scheme, but I perused the pages a few months back, contemplating Kuni's repaint, and settled on yellow/orange/green. Not only is it the most prevalent scheme, it just looks best. Must be something subliminal

Though, here's one thought about the plates. Since many sculpts are produced as if the plates are bone covered with skin and blood vesseles, the thought may be that when--if-- the animal flushes blood into the plates as a signal, it will enhance the patterns there and show as a reddish orangy or such, much like placing a light under your palm and seeing the blood in the light. The black edges and pattern lines would break this up into whatever distinctive pattern there was. Black would be hard for the bleed through to show through, and may have been a natural, logical choice. Most of these figures have the engraved, ridged plate details found on the bones, supporting this supposition somewhat.

Some, like bully's have the bony texture, but also are much larger and pointier than in real life, possibly representing a horny sheath over the plates. This could make them more functional as armor, to a certain degree. None of the toys or statues correctly represents just how thin and fragile the plates were. Also, being just imbedded into the skin and muscle there may have been some movement of the plates while the animal was in motion. Think of Godzilla's plates while he moved, only a bit more realistic. There is often the wrong number of plates too, usually not enough of them.

But, covered in a horny sheath, the blushing theory is not as convincing. The veins supplied blood to keep the sheath alive. In this case, there could be any number pf patterns or colors on the plates, and I have tried a few that way. They still were likely used as a signaling system, thus would have to be very distinctive and striking still, but for the most part, I keep coming back to orange -ish with black detail. The one time I used blue, there was a small uprising.

These colors were standard long before JP. Not everything dino comes from there, thank God. Many, or most, of the old color restorations from early on right on through use the colors, to a degree. Lots used a med red plate and grey body, but it comes and goes through out history. They were just big lizards after all. Green, grey, and brown were their colors. Plates and crests were red, and most very old ceratopsian pics show the frill as a connective post fot neck muscles with little color, and no patterning.....

I also believe this topic has been thoroughly discussed in the thread for DinoIke's stegosaurus sculpt, in prepping what it may look like. Stego and plate function, shape, and coloration were repeatedly discussed there, and this is really just a rehash of that.

[Libraraptor]

This is why I prefer the monochrome ones. Invicta or Kleinwelka leave enough space for fantasy ;-)

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I thought the new tendency for Stego coloration was red and yellow mainly...starting with the Resaurus piece.

[Griffin]

I notice this a lot too.

Here's how I see it. Stegosaurus coexisted with mostly Sauropods right? (Its not like the cretaceous where you have all the flashy hadrosaurs and ceratopsians where visual display was probably a big part of their life styles) 9 times out of 10 the big sauropods will be colored gray or brownish gray. Its kind of the norm for huge animals (elephants, rhinos...) I think after the artist or whomever is done making all these guys the dull gray color, they are left with steg and say, "hmm we need a contrast here" and make it green. Green is bright enough contrast the gray sauropods yet still a realistic idea for blending in.

The theory about the plates as many know is that blood could be pumped through there to make them a warm reddish color. Most reconstructions follow this.

I too am guilty of making my steg green with reddish brown plates. :/

Maybe I'm totally off but that's my hypothesis.

[[][][]cordylus[][][]]

Cuz green and orange are cool

[kevin]

The theory about the plates as many know is that blood could be pumped through there to make them a warm reddish color. Most reconstructions follow this.



Which is what I just said, I believe......

[Griffin]

Aug 18, 2009 2:57:22 GMT @kevin said:

The theory about the plates as many know is that blood could be pumped through there to make them a warm reddish color. Most reconstructions follow this.



Which is what I just said, I believe......

Which is why I didn't go into too much detail about it. I was more focused on the green part but felt a need to at least include the plates.

[kevin]

Green seems a fairly logical and prevalent color. It is a "reptile" color dontchya know....

I think it may swing between trends of natural, safe colors on the toys, and the Wild Safari look of bright and colorful...

[Seijun]

This is probably common knowledge, but is the Bullyland stego supposed to look like a total ripoff of the Shane Foulkes stego?

[kevin]

I dunno about that, but the Bully stego is way cool, probably among my top three stego toys ever.....

Ya, I can see it now. Foulkes's stego has a much smaller head, and the throat pouch. Perhaps these details were too hard to replicate? Although, the WS stego has a very small yet nicely sculpted head, and the Kinto Favorit has the pouch. But, yea, the pose is almost identicle, I don't know why they just didn;t finish off all the way. But, if you can't get the statue, I definitely recommend going for the Bully stego.

[brontozaurus]

Green and red look good together, plus they look natural.

Then there's what Sega coloured it as in their Dinosaur King series...

[kevin]

Which is not out of the realm of possibility; there are many animals..especially lizards and birds...that are pretty gaudily colored. I think it is just the sheer size of the dinos that gives pause. A neon pink and purple wall of flesh just doesn't sit quite right, but hey, who knows.

[Griffin]

Its not impossible. Especially if the animals traveled in large groups. If your in a large group, and you are all the same (possibly flashy) color, you can blend in amongst your peers. Zebra would be a good modern example of this.

[Radman]

I call this the LSU stegosaurus (geaux stegeaux!):



This is from the fantastic little book "Giant Dinosaurs of the Jurassic", by Gregory Wenzel. Many great illustrations and imaginative color schemes. Lotsa blues.

[kevin]

Se, that works for me. I think a little lighter on the plates, with more detailed patterning. And, black edges for higher contrast in general. But this is a pleasing scheme.

[sauropodlet]

Aug 19, 2009 21:22:51 GMT Radman said:

I call this the LSU stegosaurus (geaux stegeaux!):

Your Stegosaurus makes me want to eat shrimp boil, oysters, and gumbo and drink 6 or 8 pints of Abita while listening to other people talk about football, dude...