Fossils that retain living colorsSourced
Some plant fossils still carry the colors they had millions of years ago.
The Clarkia beds within the Latah Formation in the northwestern US formed about 16 million years ago. Exceptional deposits preserve original organic material and even living coloration. Possible ancient DNA fragments have also been discussed, though that is a separate and more uncertain claim.
A fossil need not be only the color of stone.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Paleobiota of the Latah Formation · Wikimedia contributors
Paleobiota of the Latah Formation ↗
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Reviewed: 2026-10-01