2007 | Everything Dinosaur Blog

27 08, 2007

Confusing Tarbosaurus for Tyrannosaurus – Helpful Hints

By Mike|2024-04-01T09:53:14+01:00August 27th, 2007|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

Is Tarbosaurus actually a Tyrannosaurus rex in Disguise?

We get many e-mails and letters from dinosaur enthusiasts all over the world asking us lots of questions about prehistoric animals. It is hard work but we do try to respond to them all and provide what information we can.

An example of this was when we received a phone call asking about Tarbosaurus, could we provide a little more information on this animal.

Tarbosaurus or to give this animal its full name Tarbosaurus bataar (means Alarming reptile) is a member of the Tyrannosauroidea family. Fossils of this large meat-eater were first unearthed in 1948 by a Russian led expedition to Mongolia, however, it was another 7 years before Tarbosaurus was officially named and described. So Tarbosaurus bataar (alarming reptile from Bataar) was named and described in 1955. It was a Russian palaeontologist – Evgeny Maleev, who was at the fore-front of Russian theropod studies who was given the honour of naming Tarbosaurus and publishing a scientific paper on it.

Confusing Tarbosaurus for Tyrannosaurus

At the time the west led by the USA and the Soviet Union were in the middle of the “cold war”. NATO had been formed in 1948 to counter the Soviet threat and in response 1955 saw the formation of Soviet led military alliance, the Warsaw Pact. Tensions were running high between the two ideologies, relations were distinctly cold and often hostile between these two superpowers. Unfortunately, dinosaurs may have become pawns used by both sides in their political manoeuvring. Tyrannosaurus rex was the most famous dinosaur of all and reputed to be the biggest meat-eater known at the time. T. rex heralded from the Western USA (although we now know it lived in Canada as well).

The Russians were delighted when they too had discovered a huge meat-eater, just about as big and as fierce as T. rex. The state sponsored Palaeontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow had their own star attraction – a huge meat-eating dinosaur, just like Tyrannosaurus rex!

More Fossils Found

In the 1950s a number of fossils of Tarbosaurus were found, again in Mongolia but discoveries were also made at sites in Western and Southern China. It seemed that Tarbosaurus was quite widely distributed, dominating the Late Cretaceous of Asia as the region’s top predator.

Today, scientists are divided as to whether Tarbosaurus is a genus in is own right or whether it should be classified as a Tyrannosaurus. Close study of the fossils show that it was very closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex, so closely related that it may, indeed be a sub-species of T. rex. The name Tyrannosaurus bataar has been proposed, and indeed some textbooks have started to use this name, dropping Tarbosaurus.

Analysis of the skulls show that there are subtle differences, enough to warrant giving Tarbosaurus a separate genus, but more finds may prove conclusive in this debate.

The argument as to whether Tarbosaurus is actually a Tyrannosaurus rex is confused further by studies of the first fossils of Tarbosaurus. It seems that some of the earliest finds were of a juvenile and at the time the Russian scientists thought they had actually discovered two meat-eating dinosaurs.

Tarbosaurus Anatomically Similar to T. rex

For sure, it seems that Tarbosaurus was anatomically very similar to T. rex. It was certainly a very impressive looking animal, reaching lengths of up to 40 feet and weighing perhaps as much as 5 Tonnes. It lived during the Maastrichtian stage (70 mya to 65 mya), of the Cretaceous, at the very end of the age of Dinosaurs, although it may have been around for about 2 million years before the U.S. Tyrannosaurus rex showed up.

As fossils have been found at a number of sites in Asia, we know that it was very widely distributed living in forested regions as well as semi-arid and desert areas. Recent comparative studies between Tarbosaurus and T. rex have led scientists to believe that there may have been other subtle differences between these huge carnivores.

The biggest Tarbosaurus so far discovered seems to be slightly smaller than the biggest T. rex, it also seems slightly lighter built. This could be because it had evolved into a more nimble hunter than T. rex to catch the different prey animals that lived with it in Asia (mostly duck-bills). The difference in skeletal size could also reflect the fact that Tarbosaurus lived in a harsher environment, or perhaps its just because nobody has yet found a really big Tarbosaurus fossil!

Some scientists have also speculated that the arms of Tarbosaurus were proportionately smaller than T. rex’s; the debate looks set to continue. Surprisingly, despite the changes made to T. rex displays around the world as palaeontologists re-design them to show the animal with its tail off the ground, the Tarbosaurus display at the Palaeontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which depicts an adult Tarbosaurus and a juvenile has yet to be updated.

The display, in what may be the biggest palaeontological collection in the world, still shows these animals with their tails firmly on the ground.

The Tyrannosaurus family tree is still very unclear. Recent discoveries in Portugal indicate that the tyrannosaurs evolved in Europe during the late Jurassic and it took them millions of years before they moved to the top of the food chain.

A new poster has just come up which depicts a number of members of the tyrannosaur family and attempts to put them into a family tree.

Tyrannosaur Evolution Family Tree

Picture courtesy of Everything Dinosaur

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur – Dinosaur Toys, Models and Gifts.

26 08, 2007

10,000 year old Mammoth Remains found in Florida

By Mike|2022-10-30T08:27:02+00:00August 26th, 2007|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|1 Comment

Ancient Mammoth Remains found in the Sunshine State

Researchers in Florida are studying the remains of ancient mammoths found on a Seminole Indian reservation. Workers digging a canal found fossilised molars and work was stopped to permit a team of local archaeologists to excavate the area properly. Within a few days over 100 bones including more Mammoth fossils were uncovered.

Mammoth Remains Found in Florida

To find such a congregation of fossils is extremely rare, particularly in a state like Florida with large areas of low-lying ground and marshland as many sites are affected by water movement.

Further research is required to identify all the species present at the site. The ancient mammoth remains may have come from a Columbian mammoth (M. columbi). An adult Columbian mammoth would have stood nearly 4 metres tall at the shoulder and could have weighed as much as 10 Tonnes.

Preliminary site surveys, have estimated the age of the fossils to be about 10,000 years old, dating these finds to the very end of the Pleistocene epoch. If tusks can be recovered analysis of their growth rings can provide scientists with valuable climate data and using a method of measurement pioneered by American scientists at Michigan University the age of these Mammoths when they died can also be determined.

Mammoths like modern elephants, continued to grow until about the age of 40, examination of the fossilised dentine layers within the fossilised tusks should provide data on how old these animals were when they died.

It is too early to tell whether this collection of fossilised animal remains is as a result of a natural phenomenon such as a flood or the work of the stone age people who lived in the area at the time. Perhaps this was a “butcher’s yard” were the carcasses of animals that had been hunted were cut up, as yet no tell-tale scratches or marks on the bone made by tools have been identified.

Mammoths may have been an important food source for many early peoples. Their lives could have revolved round the annual Mammoth migrations. European cave paintings show how important these animals were to our ancestors.

Ironically, the enigmatic Mammoth is still very popular today, it often features in Everything Dinosaur’s surveys of children’s popular prehistoric animals (actually it ranked ninth in our 2006/7 survey) and the company does supply a lot of Woolly Mammoth models to young Ice Age fans.

Click here to read article on Everything Dinosaur Prehistoric Animal Surveys

American scientists who have studied a number of bone beds of this nature have speculated that the Columbian Mammoth may have been hunted to extinction by early man. Analysis of other USA finds show that these Mammoths reached maturity earlier and grew faster – indications of a animal population under pressure. It has been argued that if these Mammoths had gone extinct due to climate change, tusk analysis would show evidence of food shortages such as a slower growth rate and the age of maturity to increase.

Could over hunting led to the extinction of this megafauna?

The team at Everything Dinosaur submitted suggestions about the type of animals that should be depicted in the new Ice Age Mammals box set. We suggested a Woolly Rhino and wanted to include a South American Terror Bird such as a phorusrhacid as we wanted to depict some of the megafauna around at the time. The rhino model was made but the Terror Bird rejected, it proved too difficult to sculpt a two-legged model – a perennial problem when it comes to creating models of bipeds.

The Ice Age Mammal Box Set

Ice Age Mammals.

Picture courtesy of Wild Republic and Everything Dinosaur

Prehistoric Mammal models including Woolly Mammoth models: Models of Prehistoric Mammals.

25 08, 2007

New Parasaurolophus model from Schleich

By Mike|2022-10-30T08:31:33+00:00August 25th, 2007|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

New Schleich Parasaurolophus

Schleich the German based model manufacturers have added three new dinosaurs to their Saurus range of 1:40 scale model prehistoric animals. The models are of a Stegosaurus, the duck-billed Parasaurolophus and a new Tyrannosaurus rex. Each model is hand-painted and based on research from palaeontologists. Today, we announce a new Parasaurolophus model from Schleich.

New Parasaurolophus 1:40 scale Model from Schleich

Picture courtesy of Everything Dinosaur

Dinosaur Models: Prehistoric Animal and Dinosaur Models.

We had the opportunity recently to put some questions about the new Saurus range models to the designers at Schleich, for example we wanted to know why Parasaurolophus had been given a spotted coat. A great deal of thought goes into the colours used by the artists, the black spots on a tan skin tone support a theory held by some palaeontologists about the lifestyle of this large herbivore.

Parasaurolophus Model from Schleich.

The large backward pointing crest may have been used as part of an “ice-breaker” system for travelling through forests. In the dinosaur’s backbone there is an unusual feature, a notch just between the shoulders. This notch was placed just where the tip of the crest would have rested. Scientists have put forward the hypothesis that Parasaurolophus may have used the crest to push its way through woodland and undergrowth. Anchored into the notch, the crest would have acted like a plough or an ice-breaker on the bow of ship, parting the leaves and branches making it easier for this dinosaur to move.

It is certainly, an interesting theory, compared to the hadrosaur,Corythosaurus, fewer Parasaurolophus fossils have been found indicating that Corythosaurus may have lived near water (where there is a greater likelihood of fossilisation occurring), whereas, Parasaurolophus may have preferred a forest habitat.

To read an article about a baby Parasaurolophus fossil: Most Complete Fossilised Baby Parasaurolophus Discovered.

A Woodland Habitat

If Parasaurolophus spent most of its time in woodland, then a spotted coat would help break up it’s outline and would provide effective camouflage, just as a Leopard’s spots would do. This big spotted animal would be difficult to see in dense forests and if they travelled in a group the spotted pattern would make it difficult for predators to single out individuals.

The previous Schleich Saurus model of Parasaurolophus showed the animal rearing up onto its hind legs. We know that duck-billed dinosaurs such as Parasaurolophus were capable of walking on two legs. They may have adopted this stance to reach higher branches so they could feed or to escape quickly from predators such as Daspletosaurus, Gorgosaurus or Albertaceratops. Close analysis of the bones in the shoulder area (scapula and coracoid) so large scars where big muscles were attached. Parasaurolophus had strong muscular front legs so it has been speculated that this animals spent most of its time as a quadruped – hence the new model from Schleich depicts it in this pose.

24 08, 2007

Ancient Crocodile Skull found in Dorset

By Mike|2023-02-16T08:12:58+00:00August 24th, 2007|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

Cretaceous Crocodile unearthed in Dorset

The beautifully preserved skull of an ancient crocodile discovered on the Dorset coast has just gone on display at the Swanage Museum and Heritage Centre. The 58 cm skull is of a Goniopholis, a broad snouted semi-aquatic crocodilian the lived in the early Cretaceous, sharing the riverbanks with herds of Iguanodon.

The skull was found in April by Richard Edmonds, the Earth Science Manager for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage site, whilst inspecting a cliff fall at Swanage on the Dorset shoreline. The post cranial elements were lying in the rubble with the rest of the skull retained with the cliff. Working with local fossil hunters the skull was carefully removed, cleaned and will be on display for a few weeks at the local museum. Scientists from Bristol University and the London museum of Natural History will then take the specimen away for further study, to see if this find represents a new species of ancient crocodile.

Ancient Crocodile Skull

A number of species of Goniopholis are known from Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sediments. These animals are classified in the mesoeucrocodylia family, these ancient crocodiles ranged in size from 2-4 metres in length and are believed to be the direct ancestors of extant crocodilians. The skull could have belonged to a G. crassidens. Goniopholis crassidens was the first of this genus to be named and described.

It was Richard Owen who was given the task of classifying this animal, he completed this paper in 1841. At around this time, Richard was beginning to comprehend that the huge extinct reptiles – Megalosaurus, Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus were so different from the crocodiles, pterosaurs and marine reptiles that they deserved to be put into their own distinct order.

For models and replicas of dinosaurs, fossils of which have been found in the British Isles: CollectA Deluxe Age of Dinosaurs.

Richard Owen (along with many of his contemporaries) was beginning to recognise that these extinct animals needed their own order, the thought process that led to the naming of the dinosaurs had begun!

Click here to read about the rivalry between scientists at the time the word Dinosauria was first used: What’s in a name – the Classification of Dinosauria.

24 08, 2007

How did the Silurian Period get its Name?

By Mike|2023-02-12T10:43:35+00:00August 24th, 2007|Geology, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Why is the Silurian called the Silurian?

Recently we took a small party to some locations we know in the county of Shropshire where you can find fossils of brachipods, bivalves, coral and such like. Shropshire’s geology is strongly associated with the Silurian period (it lasted from approximately 435mya to 410 mya), indeed two of the epochs within the Silurian are named from places in the county – the Ludlow and Wenlockian epochs. However, geologists in North America have different terms for rocks of this age from the Silurian (the Lockportian and the Tonawandan).

Silurian

The Silurian marks a period of sea level rises (called marine transgressions), much of the county was covered in warm, shallow seas, during this time and marine life flourished. The beginning of the Silurian (Silurian/Ordovician boundary) is marked by a major extinction event but by the time the rocks that form Wenlock Edge were laid down life was once again flourishing with jawed fish such as the placoderms and acanthodians beginning to diversify. The arthropods continued to dominate and were the top predators during this period. The first corals were forming in these shallow seas, made by the now extinct rugose and tabulate corals.

Fossil Hunting Trip

Whilst on our fossil hunting trip we were asked how the Silurian got its name. The Silurian was named by Sir Roderick Murchison, the wealthy Scottish aristocrat. Sir Roderick had thought in the wars against Napoleon but when these ended he turned his attention to the embryonic science of geology. Encouraged by friends such as the Reverend William Buckland (the very same William Buckland who named and described the very first dinosaur – Megalosaurus); he explored the fossil-bearing strata of south Wales and Shropshire. Being independently wealthy Sir Roderick was able to mount expeditions to explore the geology of Europe and his connections soon saw him elected to the London Geological Society.

Sir Roderick named the rock strata that made up the chronological succession of fossils the Silurian after an ancient Welsh Celtic tribe called the Silures. At the time, his friend and colleague Adam Sedgwick (Professor of Geology at Cambridge University) had just named the much earlier rock strata where the first great abundance of fossils had been found – the Cambrian, after another ancient Welsh tribe.

Silurian strata shows the first signs of the colonisation of the land with the establishment of primitive vascular plants such as Cooksonia. During this time the first arthropods ventured onto land.

For replicas and models of Silurian invertebrates and other prehistoric creatures: CollectA Prehistoric Life Replicas and Models.

23 08, 2007

What’s in a Name – The Classification of Dinosauria

By Mike|2023-02-15T21:24:28+00:00August 23rd, 2007|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

How the Dinosauria came to be Named

The classification of Dinosauria into a separate and distinct order is shrouded with controversy. It may be widely known that the term “Dinosauria” was first used by Sir Richard Owen, how the term came into being and accepted by the scientific community is quite contentious.

Linking the Fossil Evidence

A number of attempts had been made link the three known ancient land dwelling reptiles – Iguanodon, Megalosaurus and Hylaesaurus in the early 1830s. The distinguished German naturalist Hermann von Meyer (who was later to name and describe Plateosaurus in 1837), had used the phrase “Saurians” when describing these animals and their mammalian characteristics in a paper published in 1832.

However, it was a fossil unearthed in 1841 that finally provided the evidence to unite all these huge land reptiles into a separate taxon. A new bone of an Iguanodon had been discovered on the Isle of Wight. This new discovery was brought to the attention of Richard Owen and he duly went off to the island to examine it. The fossil was an Iguanodon’s sacrum (the lower part of the spine). As Owen studied this new find it dawned on him that the Iguanodon sacrum had an identical characteristic to the sacrum of the Megalosaurus that had been on display at the Ashmolean museum, Oxford for the past twenty years or so.

Megalosaurus Fossil Material on Display

The Megalosaurus display case (Oxford Museum of Natural History). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Five Sacral Vertebrae

The five sacral vertebrae forming the lower part of the spine of both the Iguanodon and Megalosaurus were fused in exactly the same way. Having a fused sacrum strengthens the backbone and is an adaptation for living on land, dinosaurs have it as do mammals and humans (although our lower spines are fused in a different way to dinosaurs). This fossil vertebrae provided the vital evidence of an anatomical link between the meat-eating Megalosaurus and the plant-eater Iguanodon. They belonged to the same order.

Prior to this, these reptiles had been loosely grouped together under the term “Lacertians” but now these land animals were seen as a very distinct group from crocodiles, marine reptiles and pterosaurs. They had characteristics very similar to mammals, with an upright gait, pillar like legs that were held directly underneath the body.

Richard Owen

Richard Owen had been engaged by the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) to produce a comprehensive paper on these ancient creatures – his “Report on British Fossil Reptiles”. He delivered his paper in a presentation made at the annual meeting of the BAAS in August 1941, but extensively re-wrote it before its final publication in April 1842. Working from his study at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, Richard added the following note to his paper:

“The combination of such characters, some as the sacral ones, altogether peculiar among Reptiles, others borrowed, as it were, from groups now distinct from each other, and all manifested by creatures far surpassing in size the largest of existing reptiles, will, it is presumed, be deemed sufficient ground for establishing a distinct tribe or sub-order of Saurian Reptiles for which I propose the name of Dinosauria”.

Richard Owen had toyed with a number of names for this new classification over the winter of 1841 but after discussing the matter with friends he hit upon the idea of using the Greek words “deinos” meaning terrible or fearfully great and “sauros” meaning lizard.

The Classification of Dinosauria

Hence the term dinosaurs or terrible lizards came into being.

Perhaps Owen had been pointed in the direction of the Greek poetic style of Homer as the word “Deinos” is found in the work accredited to the ancient Greek poet. In the prose, the word Deinos is used to mean inconceivable and unknowable, a very apt description; as few scientists could fail to recognise the impact of the establishment of a extinct sub-order of reptiles on the prevailing view about the Creation.

Mystery Surrounds the Naming of the Order

Mystery surrounds the naming of this order, much of the earlier work of Mantell is discredited in Owen’s paper. Indeed he takes credit for many of the insights made by Mantell and others. Poor Mantell is ridiculed for his inaccurate estimates of the size of Iguanodon. Owen takes great delight in belittling Mantell’s comparisons of the fossils of Iguanodon with a modern Iguana. He almost gleefully, mocks Mantell for naming Iguanodon from the fossil teeth resembling that of an Iguana lizard.

Owen states that the teeth when studied in cross-section under a microscope bare little similarity. This is a little unfair, as at the time Mantell made his conclusions fewer Iguanodon fossils were known and he did not have access to a microscope.

Mantell and the Classification of Dinosauria

Ironically, it was Gideon Mantell who first pointed out the bipedal stance of Iguanodon. He had noted a number of characteristics regarding the limb bones of Iguanodon that led him to conclude that this animal was capable of standing on its hind feet using its forelimbs for grasping vegetation. Owen completely failed to notice this despite having better access to fossil specimens of Iguanodon than Mantell. Owen envisaged Iguanodon as an elephantine type quadruped whereas it was Mantell who had given us the first insight into the true nature of anatomy of dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Models: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

22 08, 2007

So Tyrannosaurus rex could chase down David Beckham

By Mike|2022-10-30T08:39:12+00:00August 22nd, 2007|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

T. rex able to catch David Beckham

New research shows that Tyrannosaurus rex could out run a professional athelete such as David Beckham, but the fastest dinosaurs of all could top 40 mph!

A very unusual race has just been run by scientists at the University of Manchester, a race between several dinosaurs, modern animals and a human in a bid to see which was the fastest. The researchers led by Dr Bill Sellers and palaeontologist Phil Manning have just had their work published in the journal of the Royal Society of Biological Sciences.

The race was run in virtual reality using a super computer to calculate the running speeds of 5 bipedal, theropod dinosaurs, two extant flightless birds (ostrich and emu) and a human. The results show that the smallest dinosaur studied, Compsognathus (pronounced komp-so-nay-thus) was able to run at a top speed of 40 mph, making this 1 metre long, Jurassic carnivore one of the fastest two-footed land animals of all time.

Data on each animal’s anatomy was fed into the computer along with estimates of their leg muscle mass, posture and gait. The computer then used this information to assess how each creature would have moved and then calculated the fastest possible speed for each animal. For the ostrich, emu and the David Beckhams around today, actual measurements of muscle mass and stride length could be taken. For the dinosaurs, the team had to be a bit more creative. Unfortunately, there are no tyrannosaurs or compsognathids around for the scientists to take measurements from, but muscle scars on fossilised leg bones can give them an idea of leg muscle mass. Measurements from fossilised dinosaur trackways can also provide valuable data on gait, posture and stride length.

Once all the bio-mechanical information had been programmed into the computer, the maximum speed of each animal could be calculated and the virtual race run. Data from a professional sportsman was used to provide the human comparison and from this research, believed to be the most accurate ever produced, Tyrannosaurus rex running at a top speed of just under 8 metres a second could outrun the human athlete. In the film Jurassic Park, T. rex is shown chasing a jeep at nearly 35 mph but scientists have known for some time that this sort of speed for a 7 Tonne dinosaur was unrealistic. Still, if T. rex could have run at approximately 18 mph it would have been an extremely impressive effort!

The Results from the Virtual Reality Race

Virtual Race Data	Weight	Metres/sec	Km/hour	Miles/hour	Place
Human	71kg	7.9	28.4	17.7	Dinner!
Emu	27.2kg	13.3	47.9	29.8	3rd
Ostrich	65.3kg	15.4	55.4	34.5	2nd
Compsognathus	3kg	17.8	64.1	39.8	1st
Velociraptor	20kg	10.8	38.9	24.2	4th
Dilophosaurus	430kg	10.5	37.8	23.5	5th
Allosaurus	1.4 tonnes	9.4	33.8	21	6th
Tyrannosaurus	6 tonnes	8	28.8	17.9	7th

Table reproduced from University of Manchester data

The Velocity of the Dinosauria

The results show that the smaller and lighter the dinosaur the faster it could run. Whether or not these speeds could be maintained by meat-eating dinosaurs is open to debate. Ostriches and emus are able to sustain high running speeds over considerable distances whereas, it is not known how long a dinosaur could maintain its top speed and this particular study does not shed any further light on the endurance capabilities of these animals. Dinosaurs such as Compsognathus were lightweight and speedy. Compsognathus is one of the smallest dinosaurs known, weighing little more than your average laptop. Its remains have been found in Bavarian limestone deposits indicating that it lived in a coastal environment. From its teeth we can guess that it probably chased down insects and smaller reptiles so being speedy would have been a distinct advantage. It could also have used its fast reactions and powerful hind legs to get away from the many predators in the area at the time – such as crocodiles and the larger dinosaurs such as Ornitholestes.

A lot of work has been carried out by palaeontologists on the relative speeds of various dinosaurs. This new study moves away from previous techniques which used direct comparisons between dinosaurs and modern creatures such as chickens to work out velocities. This scaling-up work has attracted some criticism, after all it is hard to compare the speed of 2 kg chicken with a 7 Tonne theropod. As this new data uses information based on individual dinosaurs then this data may be able to overcome some of the limitations of the previous work.

However, top speed is one thing, the ability to sustain it is another; and indeed crucial data about running safely has not been considered. Ostriches are relatively stable at high speed, they are well co-ordinated and balanced. The same cannot be said for a large meat-eating dinosaur. The fossilised rib bones of animals such as Allosaurus and T. rex show many signs of being broken. Are these the result of falls as the animals pursued prey? The tiny forelimbs on a tyrannosaur would not have helped much if the animal tripped and fell. Such an accident could well have proved fatal, depite the protection of belly ribs such as gastralia. So perhaps, T. rex and company did not rush around at their theoretical maximum too often – it was not worth the risk.

Sadly, the University of Manchester team did not investigate the potential top speeds of any ornithomimid dinosaurs such as Gallimimus or Ornithomimus. These “ostrich-like” dinosaurs were the real speed freaks of the Mesozoic with some palaeontologists estimating that they could top 50 mph or perhaps with the wind behind them and on a good day attain Cheetah like speeds.

Everything Dinosaur stocks a wide range of dinosaur models, such as the Rebor range with its extensive selection of theropod figures: Rebor Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

21 08, 2007

Girls like Pink, Boys like Blue – Why? Because we Evolved this way According to New Research

By Mike|2024-04-01T09:59:21+01:00August 21st, 2007|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

Why do Girls like Pink?

The colour preferences of men and women may seem like an unusual subject to merit serious scientific study, but new research published today from Newcastle University points at girl’s preference for pink being as a result of our biological and evolutionary programming.

There may be an evolutionary advantage in the old adage of “pink for a girl and blue for a boy”. Tests results produced by the Newcastle University team and re-printed in this month’s edition of the magazine “Current Biology” show that women have a strong preference for red tones. Using a representative group the researchers recorded people’s reactions to a series of flash cards that were shown to them. Blue proved to be the most popular colour amongst the men and women test subjects but real differences between the sexes showed up when reactions to different hues and blends of colours were tested.

Girls Like Pink, Boys Like Blue

Whilst the male subjects showed no real preference for different hues and tones shown to them across the colour spectrum, women overwhelmingly plumped for the red end of the red-green colour spectrum. The differences between the sexes in the results recorded were so significant that just by analysing the data produced; the research team were able to accurately predict the sex of the respondents. Chinese subjects were also included within the study, in a bid to remove any possible cultural differences in colour preference, but their results were in line with the overall findings. Females preference for the red spectrum seems to go beyond cultural and nurturing influences.

The research, led by Professor Anya Hurlbert says more about Homo sapiens, than females liking for reds, pinks and lilacs. Their love of the red spectrum may influence the clothes they wear and the colour of their handbags but this fascination may go deeper and reflect an important evolutionary trait of our ancient ancestors.

Colour Preferences Have Ancient Origins

As hunter-gatherers, a long held view is that the women took on the role of finding food whilst the men were the hunters. Certainly, there is strong evidence to suggest that our brains are wired differently to assist with these tasks. We have only to look at what goes on in our company; Everything Dinosaur; to see evidence of this. For example, the girls are better able to remember where things are kept in the warehouse. Perhaps this is a manifestation of their evolutionary trait of being able to remember where to find food sources as they wandered around the Pleistocene landscape. Or perhaps it is because they are just cleverer than us boys!

Prehistoric women who were able to find ripe fruits would have been greatly appreciated by the other members of the tribe. In nature, the colour red is often an indication of ripeness and readiness to eat, so being able to see reds well may have been a significant evolutionary advantage.

At Everything Dinosaur we too have found that females have a strong preference for pinks and lilacs. We recently introduced a range of dinosaur themed items especially for girls. Their preference for the colour pink was reflected in our choice of products and helped in the design of things like the Utahraptor soft toys (they have a pink crest on them).

Some of the Everything Dinosaur – “Pink Influenced Products”

Picture courtesy of Everything Dinosaur

We introduced a special range of products in recognition of the need to get more young girls interested in science. Girls as well as boys seem to be fascinated with dinosaurs, although strangely when we carry out our prehistoric animal surveys dinosaurs such as Triceratops and Stegosaurus seem to be more popular amongst the girls than the boys.

Dinosaur Models: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

At the time we thought this was just a cultural thing, but perhaps the work of nurture rather than nature but Newcastle University have revealed that this perceived colour preference is a much more deeper held belief.

We have written about the Dinosaurs for Girls in two previous blog posts to read them click here:

Dinosaurs for Girls (Part 1).

Dinosaurs for Girls (Part 2).

So there you have it, the next time you see a woman in a pink top, or a girl with a pink teddy bear you are not observing a modern cultural phenomenon but you may be looking through a window into our own past and catching a glimpse of an affinity for a colour that may have led to the survival and eventual success of our species.

20 08, 2007

Celebrating 100 years of Tyrannosaurus rex

By Mike|2024-10-14T13:44:30+01:00August 20th, 2007|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

Tyrannosaurus rex 100 Years Old

Our knowledge of Tyrannosaurus rex (tyrant lizard king) has certainly increased over the last twenty years or so as new more complete fossils are found. We now have a better understanding of the tyrannosaurid clade as more tyrannosaur fossils are discovered. For example, if the recently discovered Avityrannis jurassica turns out to be a true ancestor of T. rex then palaeontologists are going to have to revise the tyrannosaur family history, as Avityrannis would indicate this group evolving in southern Europe (Portugal) and not North America or Asia as previously thought. Even more startling Avityrannis has been found in Late Jurassic strata, pre-dating other early tyrannosaurus by something like 30 million years.

Looks like T. rex has a few surprises under its tail…

In total there are less than 30 Tyrannosaurus rex partial skeletons known. Barnum Brown had an incredible run of luck at the turn of the century locating several specimens from 1900 to 1906. It was from this collection that Henry Fairfield Osborn was able to name and describe this new dinosaur and the “King of the Tyrant Lizards” officially came to be.

Using the T. rex remains collected by Brown (most notably BM-R7995 and CM-9380), Osborn produced the first interpretation of this dinosaur.

Osborn used a human figure to depict the scale (a method he had used before in 1899 with a Diplodocus reconstruction). Note the comments made regarding the size of the forelimbs i.e. “the association of the small forelimbs is probably incorrect”. At the time it was thought that T. rex had forelimbs in the same proportion as the much better known Allosaurus fragilis. Scientists at the time could not believe that the tiny arm bones found in association with T. rex fossils actually belonged to this animal.

In 1906 a more complete T. rex skeleton was discovered (also by the incredibly skilfull; or should that be lucky Barnum Brown), enabling a second, more detailed drawing to be made.

Tyrannosaurus rex

To mark 100 years research on this the most famous and perhaps fiercest of all dinosaurs Schleich of Germany have introduced a new model Tyrannosaurus rex. This animal has been modelled in the more traditional pose, the so-called “kangaroo pose” with the heavy theropod tail resting on the ground. We had the chance to put some questions to the Schleich modellers about this new introduction, a Schleich Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur model, to their range.

Schleich had withdrawn an earlier version of T. rex back in 2006 and replaced this with a modern interpretation of the tyrannosaur with a more horizontal posture. Tyrannosaurus rex is one of the company’s top selling models so it was thought that this animal justified the expense of designing two sculptures to make into models. The new modern looking tyrannosaurus (Everything Dinosaur model code: MOSA021 – Schleich number 16448) depicts the animal with its tail held clear of the ground. It was christened the “moving Tyrannosaurus rex“.

The More Animated “Moving T. rex” (MOSA021)

Schleich T. rex Model.

Picture courtesy of Everything Dinosaur

Click here to see Schleich T. rex dinosaur model: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

The latest T. rex model (Everything Dinosaur code MOSA031- Schleich number 16454) is due out in late September. We should have our first models in stock by September 15th. This new model depicts the animal in the traditional posture first postulated by Osborn 100 years ago. The model shows the sloping back and the tail tip resting on the ground. The latest fossil evidence has been used to produce the mottled skin effect on the model bringing some parts of this design right up to date but the posture is a homage to the very first interpretations of this huge meat-eater.

The Latest T. rex from Schleich (MOSA031)

Traditional T. rex pose (Osborn).

Picture courtesy of Everything Dinosaur

Traditional T. rex Posture

The more traditional posture with the tail on the ground does have one huge advantage for the sculptors, modellers and designers. It is far easier to get a bipedal model such as this to stand upright when the tail is used as a third support. Perhaps Osborn had an eye on future merchandise sales when he produced the first scientific drawings of this animal.

Tyrannosaurus rex still has lots to tell us no doubt and you can bet more models of this famous extinct animal are bound to follow. One point about the new Tyrannosaurus from Schleich it is slightly larger than the very first T. rex model they produced. I believe this is in deference to the recent discovery by Keith Rigby of the allegedly bigger Tyrannosaurus. The skull measurements of this North American find indicate that it had a skull at least 30 cm longer than any other Tyrannosaurus rex. Is this a new Tyrannosaurus species as Rigby an his team claim (they have a nomen dubium of T. imperator) or is it just a really big example of Tyrannosaurus rex? We will have to wait until more research is done (and the legal battle over ownership and rights is resolved).

19 08, 2007

Where on a Diplodocus was its Nose?

By Mike|2023-02-16T08:09:46+00:00August 19th, 2007|Main Page, Palaeontological articles|3 Comments

Sauropod Nostrils – Where do they belong?

Dinosaurs are so ubiquitous these days sometimes it is worthwhile reminding ourselves just how little we actually know about them. Certainly, our knowledge is improving all the time and many commentators have claimed that we are presently in another “golden age of dinosaur discoveries”. With all the new techniques available, more work can be done on the existing fossil record and with more parts of the world being opened up to exploration the number of dinosaur fossils is increasing rapidly.

However, despite huge advances we still know relatively little about many of these creatures. As the Walking with Dinosaurs – Live experience tours Canada we could all be mistaken for thinking that there is no more to learn, but this is far from the reality.

For example, where on a long-necked dinosaur was its nose?

Long-necked Dinosaurs

The long-necked dinosaurs (Sauropoda) have been known for a very long time, Apatosaurus (formerly known as Brontosaurus) was named and described by Othniel Charles Marsh 130 years ago, Brachiosaurus was named and described by Riggs in 1903 and thanks to the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie fully mounted skeletons of Diplodocus (albeit in the wrong posture) have adorned the main halls of many Natural History museums all over the world for nearly a century.

A Model of a Diplodocid Dinosaur – Diplodocus

CollectA rearing Diplodocus (grey). Research into Diplodocus feeding habits.

The new CollectA rearing Diplodocus dinosaur model in the elephantine colour scheme. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

When fossils of these huge animals first came to light, scientists could not imagine them as purely terrestrial creatures, surely such huge reptiles, many estimated to have weighed 50 Tonnes or more would be much more comfortable living in water, where their huge bulk could have been supported by the water. Certain skeletal features supported this view, such as the arrangements of claws on the feet, supposedly to stop these sauropods slipping on the muddy lake floors, the arrangement of the their weak peg like teeth – surely only suited to cropping soft vegetation found in lakes and on their margins.

Diplodocus

Scientists assumptions about these dinosaurs and their aquatic lifestyles were reinforced in 1884 with the discovery of an almost intact skull of a Diplodocus. This showed a large hole at the top of the head, which scientists interpreted as the entire nasal cavity. After all, if you spent all your time under water, a blow-hole type structure at the top of the head would make a lot of sense. It was argued that these animals were as big as whales and whales lived in water with a nostril arrangement at the top of their heads so the dinosaurs had evolved a similar structure to assist them with their underwater lifestyle.

Aquatic Sauropods

The idea of aquatic sauropods was first postulated in the late 19th century, most famously by the American palaeontologist Edward Drinker Cope. This type of illustration featured in numerous books, magazines and publications right up to the 1980s. However, the modern interpretation of sauropod fossils depict them as largely terrestrial creatures, but despite this seismic shift in our perception, the nostrils of these animals are still placed at the top of head. This can be clearly seen in many drawings and artistic impressions as well as in many scale models.

The Nostrils of Diplodocus

Lawrence M. Witmer famously challenged this view and placed the nostrils of Diplodocus in a much more anterior position on the skull. Working as an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Ohio, Witmer had access to a number of late Jurassic sauropod specimens and conducted an analysis of sauropod skulls with an emphasis on the Duplicates. Soft tissue scars found on skull bones were studied, along with 62 animals from 45 species of crocodile, birds and schemata, which were x-rayed and dissected, the soft tissue making up the nasal cavities and naris were mapped and the extant species were compared to the fossil evidence.

From this work, Witmer re-modelled the skull of Diplodocus putting the nose much closer to the mouth at the front of the beast. What’s more the conclusions from this work led palaeontologists to acknowledge the existence of quite sophisticated and highly vascular, taking up to 50% of the space available in an Diplodocus skull.

The pink skull at the top of the diagram clearly shows the large naris opening at the top of the head (now believed to only part of this animal’s complicated nasal system), using Witmer’s work as a guide the nostrils have no been placed at the front of the skull.

The position of the nostrils has considerable implications for a number of biological and physical processes in diplodocoid physiology. If the nostrils were placed at the front then they alter our perceptions of the role of sense of smell for this animal. Did sense of smell help these huge animals find a mate, avoid danger or to find food? The close proximity of these sensory organs (mouth and nose) in Witmer’s model does make sense from a morphology and physiological standpoint. With a better understanding of the structure of the nasal passages palaeontologists can speculate on how these passages may have helped humidify and filter air on the way to and from the lungs.

With a head exposed to the sun could these nasal passages play an important role in cooling the brain and regulating body temperature. Losing heat for an animal of such volume would not necessarily have been an issue but thermal regulation of the brain could have been a problem as these beasts wandered the hot Jurassic landscape.

Witmer and his team have more work to do, especially on the role of these complicated nasal airwaves on body and brain temperature regulation. Although the naris at the top of the skull in sauropods is seen as part of the nasal system it seems that the passages were much more complicated than first thought. However, the scientific community remains divided on some of the more controversial findings from Witmer’s work.

Some scientists still place a greater emphasis on the naris at the top of the skull and if the work of Witmer is to be accepted it has implications for other types of dinosaurs, the Ornithischia, for example. If these concepts are developed this could lead to a whole new interpretation of the crests on hadrosaurs.

Modellers still depict sauropods with nostrils in a more posterior position. Although more modern interpretations are coming to the fore. We recently worked on the Brachiosaurus for the dinosaur collection preferring to opt for a more posterior position for placement of the nostrils. As a member of the “macronarians”, the big nostril sauropods we thought this was appropriate.

Dinosaur Collection Brachiosaurus (the Collecta Brachiosaurus and the Collecta rearing Diplodocus model): Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

The lack of sauropod skull material still continues to frustrate palaeontologists, perhaps the recent discoveries of new well preserved diplodocoid skulls in Western North America well shed further light on this anatomical puzzle.