Modern flamingos derive their pink coloration from pigments stored in tiny shrimp that they filter from shallow, salty waters  The shrimp get this pigment from tiny red algae that they filter through their leg bristles  In the Jurassic period (about 200 million years ago), both algae and shrimp were an excellent source of food for any larger animal equipped to sieve them out of the water through an anatomical strainer  The Argentine pterodactyl possessed a row of thin, bristlelike teeth through which it pumped water, straining out any tiny food particles in the process
Thus, because it was able to filter both algae and shrimp, it is reasonable to conclude that the pterodactyl acquired a pink coloration
The Argentine pterodactyl's habitat included shallow seas that were particularly rich in red algae and shrimp.