2010 | Everything Dinosaur Blog

13 05, 2010

Yoga Instructor Seeking Karma finds Rare Dinosaur Footprints Instead

By Mike|2024-04-19T10:10:22+01:00May 13th, 2010|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

Giant Dinosaur Footprints Discovered in Argentina

A yoga instructor practising some exercises has discovered the fossilised footprints of giant sauropods (long-necked dinosaurs) in southern Argentina. The dinosaur footprints, which scientists have stated represent herbivorous dinosaurs that lived 90 million years ago (Cenomanian faunal stage of the Cretaceous), were found at Los Barreales in Neuquen province, an area which is well known for its Cretaceous-aged dinosaur fossils.

Dinosaur Footprints

The dinosaur footprints measure up to 1.2 metres in diameter and scientists are hopeful that the trackways will help them to learn more about the locomotion of these huge plant-eaters. Jorge Calvo of the National University of Comahue commented that the footprints were in an excellent condition of preservation and that the tracks probably represented different sized individuals walking in the same direction. It can be assumed that this is evidence of herding behaviour with these large dinosaurs moving around in herds, just like many large, extant herbivores such as elephants do today.

This part of Argentina is considered to be one of the most important palaeontological sites in South America. A region where in 1993 remains were found of the Giganotosaurus carolinii, one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs known from the fossil record. Although Giganotosaurus fossil material is known from older rock strata, if large meat-eating dinosaurs in excess of 13 metres in length were roaming this part of South America 90 million years ago, living in a social, herd would have been a good strategy for survival.

A Colourful Model of a Giganotosaurus (Schleich)

The Schleich Giganotosaurus dinosaur model.

A model of a Giganotosaurus. The Schleich “Giant Southern Lizard” figure. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view Schleich models and replicas: Schleich Prehistoric Animal Figures and Dinosaurs.

12 05, 2010

Most Complete Fossil of a Crocodylotarsian found in Brazil

By Mike|2023-01-05T13:55:14+00:00May 12th, 2010|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

Ancient Crocodile Ancestor Fossils Discovered in Brazil

The most complete fossil of an ancient member of the crocodile lineage of archosaurs, a crocodylotarsian has been discovered in Brazil.

The archosaurs, the group of reptiles that the dinosaurs and pterosaurs evolved from originated in the latter stages of the Palaeozoic. However, after the mass extinction that took place at the end of the Permian period this group rapidly diversified into many different forms to fill the vacant niches in the early Triassic ecosystem. The archosaurs essentially split into two main forms, the ornithodirans (dinosaurs, pterosaurs and Aves) and the crocodylotarsians – the crocodile-group reptiles.

Crocodylotarsian

One of the most successful of the crocodile-group of archosaurs were the rauisuchians. These animals were characterised by their long hind limbs and slightly shorter front legs that were positioned directly underneath their bodies. Many were deep skulled, large predators some of which were the apex predators of the Middle to Late Triassic and would have preyed upon the first dinosaurs. A number of genera are known with fossils of these creatures having been found in places as far apart as Europe and Argentina. However, it must be remembered that during this part of the Earth’s history, most of the continents were formed into a single giant land mass called Pangea.

One of the best known, large Triassic rauisuchian predators is Prestosuchus chiniquensis and a new specimen of this fierce meat-eater discovered this year is being heralded by scientists as the best preserved and most complete example of a large rauisuchian ever found.

A Replica of Prestosuchus

The Wild Safari Prehistoric World Prestosuchus model.

The image (above) shows a replica of Prestosuchus from a model range, see it at Everything Dinosaur’s website and other figures in this range: Safari Ltd. Wild Safari Prehistoric World.

Pictures show the fossil of the Prestosuchus and its matrix in the white plaster jacket ready for transport away from the dig site. The superbly preserved skull can be seen on the right of the picture in this almost fully articulated specimen. The large, curved teeth in the upper jaw are prominent, but surprisingly, the distinctive downward bend at the tip of the snout, a characteristic feature of this genus cannot easily be made out.

A Triassic Lakebed

The specimen was discovered by a team of Brazilian palaeontologists and field workers from the Lutheran University of Brazil, the fossil was discovered in rock strata that had once been an ancient Triassic lakebed some 238 million years ago. The excavation site is near to the town of Dona Francisca in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The specimen, one of the largest rauisuchian fossils ever discovered is over 7 metres long, far larger than other fossils of Prestosuchus chiniquensi excavated in the area. It is thought that this large creature would have weighed close to one Tonne. It probably died close to where the carcase was buried, if the body had been transported any distance after the animal died it is highly unlikely that the remains would have stayed as complete and in almost perfect articulation.

Commenting on the discovery, a spokesperson stated:

“It is something that we could never imagine, the quality of preservation and the size of the fossils are sensational.”

The scientists are hopeful that when the individual bones are extracted from the matrix in the preparation laboratory, it may give them the chance to learn more about the anatomy of these creatures. The well preserved hind leg (seen in the pictures, being carefully brushed by a researcher in the background), could help solve a mystery regarding rauisuchian locomotion. Some scientists have speculated that these animals were facultative bipeds – spending a large part of the time on four feet, but being capable of walking on their hind legs when required.

A spokesperson for Everything Dinosaur stated:

“A large predator such as Prestosuchus may have been capable of bipedal locomotion, raising itself onto its hind legs in order to pursue its prey of large vertebrates such as dicynodonts and rhynchosaurs.”

The Prestosuchus may have been a lake side resident, large enough to defend a prime hunting site from other smaller predators. As herds of herbivores came down to drink, the Prestosuchus may have ambushed them. The Brazilian team hope to complete their work on the fossil specimen in the next two years or so and when it is ready for display they are keen to see it sent to a Brazilian museum so the fossil can remain within the country.

An Illustration of a Rauisuchian

Postosuchus illustration.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

11 05, 2010

New Archaeopteryx Study Reveals Chemical Link Between Dinosaurs and Birds

By Mike|2023-01-05T13:51:15+00:00May 11th, 2010|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Archaeopteryx Reveals Chemical Link Between Dinosaurs and Birds

A team of Anglo/American researchers have published a new study on one of the most famous of all the creatures in the fossil record, Archaeopteryx. Thanks to the use of some very sophisticated technology; the team have revealed a chemical link between this primitive Jurassic bird and modern birds.

This crow-sized bird displays an unambiguous mix of characteristics from two linked groups of animals – Theropod dinosaurs and Aves (birds). The skeleton, beautifully preserved in a number of specimens from Solnhofen (Germany) shows many features of small, meat-eating, cursorial dinosaurs. Archaeopteryx had a three-fingered hand like that of a theropod dinosaur but a four-toed foot with the first toe potentially reversed to the other three to help it perch in trees like a bird. Earlier specimens of Archaeopteryx had been interpreted as having a perching adaptation, but the specimen used in the chemical analysis shows evidence of Archaeopteryx not having a reversed first toe. The jaws were lined with fine, needle-like teeth and Archaeopteryx had a long, bony reptilian tail. However, the most strikingly birdlike feature of Archaeopteryx is the feathers, exquisitely preserved in the fine-grained, lithographic limestone in a number of specimens.

A Model of the Jurassic Bird Archaeopteryx

Papo prehistoric animal models (Papo Archaeopteryx).

Papo Archaeopteryx “ancient wing” by Papo. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The model in the photograph (above) is the Papo Archaeopteryx figure. To view the Papo model range: Papo Prehistoric Animals.

In the study, published in the scientific journal “The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” new light is shed (literally one of the fossils was exposed to powerful X-rays), on the chemical relationship between dinosaurs and birds.

Extremely strong X-ray beams and other high tech equipment reveal that in the Archaeopteryx fossil studied, (The Thermopolis specimen, described in 2005 and on display at the Thermopolis museum in Wyoming, USA), chemical components of feathers, the residues of decayed organic materials remain in association with the fossilised bones. Such residues would not be apparent in a visual inspection and the traces of feathers would remain undetected in a conventional analysis.

The use of such powerful x-ray equipment and sophisticated technology is helping to provide palaeontologists with new data on long extinct creatures. The research, led by scientists at the University of Manchester and the U. S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has led to the chemical mapping of the fossil and elements of the surrounding matrix. Using powerful computer programmes, the X-ray data and chemical analysis has helped the team map out the chemical signature of the Archaeopteryx specimen used in the study.

The feathers contain phosphorous (P) and sulphur (S), these same chemical elements are found in the feathers of Neornithes (modern birds). Trace amounts of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) were also found in the fossilised bones. Like birds today, Archaeopteryx may have required those elements to stay healthy.

Commenting on the research work, University of Manchester palaeontologist Phil Manning said:

“Archaeopteryx is to palaeontology what Tutankhamen is to the science of archaeology. It’s simply one of the icons of our field. You would think that after 150 years of study, we would know everything we need to know about this animal, but guess what – we were wrong.”

Lead author geochemist Roy Wogelius from The University of Manchester added:

“We talk about the physical link between birds and dinosaurs, and now we have found a chemical link between them. In the fields of palaeontology and geology, people have studied bones for decades. But this whole idea of the preservation of trace metals and the chemical remains of soft tissue is quite exciting.”

The researchers found significantly different concentrations of elements in the fossil than in the surrounding rock matrix, confirming that the chemicals are remnants of the animal and not minerals leached from the surrounding rock into the fossil.

A Cast of a Famous Archaeopteryx Fossil

Archaeopteryx fossil cast. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

SLAC physicist Uwe Bergmann, who led the X-ray scanning experiment, stated:

“People have never used a technique this sensitive on Archaeopteryx before. Because the SSRL beam is so bright, we were able to see the teeniest chemical traces that nobody thought were there.”

Sophisticated technology such as the synchrotron are becoming as important to palaeontologists as the trusty geological hammer. The use of such equipment is helping scientists to learn fresh insights and to gain new data about the organisms that make up our fossil record. It is not really surprising to see the same “chemical fingerprint” of feathers in a fossil of an ancient bird as you would expect to find in a modern bird. This X-ray scanning technique may have more significant implications when studying less well preserved theropod fossils. The lithographic limestones in which the feathers of Archaeopteryx are preserved have enabled exquisite details of the specimen to be studied. Other theropod fossils, perhaps those preserved in coarser grained sandstones may not show the presence of feathers. Under X-ray scanning, a different picture may emerge, the chemical fingerprint of feathers could be inferred from the analysis of elements within the fossil matrix. Scientists may be able to infer the existence of other feathered dinosaurs, even though no trace of the delicate feathers themselves have been preserved.

10 05, 2010

The Little Dinosaur Sticker Activity Book

By Mike|2023-01-05T13:47:00+00:00May 10th, 2010|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

The Little Dinosaur Sticker Activity Book from Everything Dinosaur

Dinosaurs are very popular with young children (even older children and adults), sticker books are also popular and with this new addition to the Everything Dinosaur product range, you get the best of both.

Introducing the little dinosaur sticker activity book, an inexpensive gift for young dinosaur fans, a stocking filler or a great little gift for a party goody bag.

The Little Dinosaur Sticker Activity Book

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

This colourful little book contains 21 reuse-able dinosaur and prehistoric animal stickers. There are stickers of T. rex, pterosaurs, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and even one of Archaeopteryx the first bird. Simply take out the staples to reveal a scene from the age of dinosaurs on the inside covers. Then you can position the stickers to create your own dinosaur scene. The stickers can be peeled off and repositioned so young palaeontologists can make pictures time and time again.

The Symbol of Quality Products

Everything Dinosaur logo – a symbol of quality products and top customer service.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur

A great little gift and a good idea for a school project or a party favour.

To view the extensive range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal themed toys and gifts available from Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

9 05, 2010

The 21st Century – A Mass Extinction Event – An Important United Nations Report

By Mike|2024-04-19T10:11:17+01:00May 9th, 2010|Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

United Nations Report set to Declare that 30% of all Fauna and Flora Faces Extinction

The economic expansion of countries such as China and India, with the Western World’s inability to deal effectively with environmental threats could lead to the extinction of a third of all the plant’s species before the end of this century. We could be heading for a mass extinction event.

That is one of the conclusions of a United Nations report due to be published next week. It focuses on the huge growth in the human population and consumption and provides a stark warning about the future diversity of life on Earth. The report will link economic growth and extinction rates and provide one of the most critical evaluations on the current state of humanity and our relationship with the natural world.

Mass Extinction Event

2009 has been designated the International Year of Biodiversity, a number of events and activities are being held world wide to highlight the rich and varied ecosystems of our planet, this new report paints a very different picture regarding the state of the natural world.

This new United Nations sponsored report uses research from 120 countries and it will show that no country has succeeded in halting the loss of biodiversity and that 89% of those countries that had submitted data identified climate change as a cause for the extinctions.

Ahmed Djoghlaf, the UN’s leading figure on biological diversification states:

“If the nine billion people predicted to be with us by 2050 were to have the same lifestyle as Americans, we would need five planets.”

The UN report will attract a great deal of debate, but many countries will be reluctant to take action as they will be unwilling to fore go economic growth for the sake of the natural world. The extinction threat extends across all the main ecosystems of the planet, from rain forests to coral reefs, species as different as tree frogs, large mammals, tuna and river dolphins face extinction.

River dolphins and other large freshwater animals are particularly threatened. It is not just climate change but loss of habitat and also pollution that is causing their demise. The Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), fore example is believed to virtually extinct. No specimens were recorded in a six week survey of the Yangtze river in 2006. To read more about the decline and potential extinction of this unique species:

Yangtze River Dolphin: The Yangtze River Dolphin – How to Define an Epoch.

There is always a certain “background” rate of extinction, as species fail to compete and die out. The fossil record identifies five major extinction events when global biodiversity was significantly reduced, but there have been many other smaller extinction events recorded in the fossil record. However, some scientists have declared the Holocene as the site of the “sixth great mass extinction”, with huge numbers of species threatened with extinction.

The most recent study by the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) found that more than 17,200 species of the 47,677 species studied were classified as being threatened by extinction. The IUCN compiles a red list of species (first prepared in 1948), this catalogues species and rates them along a spectrum to indicate their threatened status. Species can be classified as LC (least concern) down to EW (extinct in the wild) and ET (extinct). Of the worlds 5, 490 mammal species 79 are classified as extinct. The IUCN has estimated that approximately 30% of all amphibian species, 70% of plants and 35% of invertebrates are threatened with extinction.

Nine Billion People

It has been estimated that by 2050 the human population will have soared to over 9 billion and the increasing human population will increase the pressure on limited resources thus leading to the extinction of many more species. The reduction of diversity and habitat in conjunction with global warning may have dire consequences for our own species.

We at Everything Dinosaur, are trying to do our bit. One of our team members has become our “Environmental Officer” and to date we have fitted energy saving light bulbs, reduced our fossil fuel consumption and introduced a new policy on packaging recycling. In addition, we have been slowly converting the area behind our offices into a wildlife friendly habitat by cleaning out and restoring a pond, planting bee friendly plants and putting in some new trees.

Team members have also been encouraged to consider where the food they eat comes from. Vegetable and fruit seeds have been provided and we are all being encouraged to “grow our own”. So far, crops of carrots, beetroot, rhubarb, onions and a series of herbs have been successfully harvested.

We have also been involved in a number of other projects too, we recognise that whilst we cannot make a huge impact on our own we can make a small difference, other plans for this summer include monitoring the grass meadow we helped to establish and creating a fernery and rockery to increase the number of wildlife habitats the area behind the offices has.

Everything Dinosaur Has Built a Wildlife Pond

More frogspawn laid in the office pond (16th March 2022).

Everything Dinosaur has created a wildlife pond which has encouraged amphibians to spawn. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

8 05, 2010

British Columbia Proposes Provincial Fossil (Four Contenders in the Running)

By Mike|2023-03-05T13:22:59+00:00May 8th, 2010|Animal News Stories, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

British Columbia wants a Provincial Fossil – Four Candidates in Contention

British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province is looking for its own provincial fossil, to join the list of natural fauna and flora that represent this part of Canada. A number of American states and Canadian provinces have their own stated fossil representative, for example Alaska has a Woolly Mammoth and California has adopted the Sabre-toothed cat sub-species S. fatalis in respect to the large amounts of Smilodon material found at La Brea tar pits.

Alberta has fossilised trees (petrified wood) as their provincial stone, but surprisingly this fossil rich area has no official fossil to represent it. Only Nova Scotia in Canada has a provincial fossil – Hylonomus lyelli. This primitive reptile, the oldest known true egg-laying (amniote). Forty of the U.S. states have a state fossil and following this trend, British Columbia has drawn up a shortlist of four candidates.

The British Columbia Palaeontological Association (BCPA) in conjunction with a number of Canadian universities has selected the four candidates from the huge range of extinct fauna and flora in the British Columbia fossil record. All thirteen of Earth’s major, life-bearing geological systems, from Vendian to Quaternary, are represented in the province, spanning the last 600 million years. Examples of British Columbia fossils range from trilobites, conodonts (early relatives of back-boned animals), gastropods and bivalves, corals, early fish, ammonites, dinosaurs and prehistoric animal tracks, huge sea reptiles from the Mesozoic and sharks.

The fossil record of plants in British Columbia is equally impressive with ferns, cycads, ancient conifers and early angiosperms. The BCPA state in their press release that the province has “spectacular samples of the diversity of ancient life that has walked across British Columbia’s varied landscapes and lived in its oceans”.

Provincial Fossil

British Columbia has a number of provincial symbols and has celebrated its rich natural heritage through designation of a Provincial Flower (Pacific Dogwood), a Provincial Bird (Stellar Jay), a Provincial Tree (Western Red Cedar), and a Provincial Gemstone (BC Jade). Government officials now want to add a provincial fossil to this list, a recognition of the importance of British Columbia to the Earth sciences.

Discussions amongst the membership and individual palaeontological societies of the BCPA have resulted in the short-list of four fossils. The four candidate fossils represent a variety of animal types, each group of which has had a significant impact on the development of life on Earth and in British Columbia.

Four Candidate Fossil Specimens

Here is the short-list:

1). The Permian Fusulinid (Yabeina columbiana)

Not the most widely known type of fossil, but a very important fossil from an extremely important group of animals in the fossil record. Fusulinids are an extinct type of sea creature, that lived in ancient oceans from about 440 million years ago to approximately 250 million years ago. Yabeina columbiana was one of the last types of this animal to evolve. Individual Yabeina specimens probably lived like tiny snails, crawling along the shallow, warm sea bottom – an epifaunal lifestyle. These animals were extremely numerous as the accumulation of shells form entire strata of blue limestone.

As the British Columbia Provincial Fossil, Yabeina columbiana would represent an exciting period in the history of the formation of the west coast of North America. It is also abundant enough that everyone could collect a specimen, the strata in which this particular fossil is found is studied by palaeontologists and geologists from all over the world.

Pictures show a small sample of blue limestone with a number of Yabeina fossils, the rock looks like it has been pock-mocked and it is these marks that represent the fossil. Under a powerful microscope, the fine detail of the tiny fossil shells can be made out and it is differences in the shell structure that is used to determine individual species.

2). The Cretaceous Ammonite (Canadoceras yokoyamai)

Ammonites were cephalopods, extinct relatives of squid and cuttlefish. They are important world wide as zonal fossils and there are many genera known from British Columbia. Ammonite fossils are relatively common in British Columbia, especially in the Cretaceous aged rocks on the west coast as well as in the northeastern part of the province.

The ammonite selected for the shortlist is Canadoceras yokoyamai, sometimes called the “Canadian horn”. It is known from rocks about 80 million years old that are preserved along the eastern side of Vancouver Island. This genus of ammonite was named after Canada, the species name, yokoyamai, is named after the Japanese palaeontologist Yokoyama and examples of the species are also known from Japan.

This fossil is also known from many other regions of the Pacific Rim, including California, Alaska, and Far East Russia. This ammonite fossil demonstrates the strong geological links between western British Columbia and other countries that border the modern Pacific ocean.Picture Credit: BCPA

The strong rib lines can clearly be seen on specimens. Ammonites are important to palaeontologists and geologists as they can help establish the relative ages of widely separated outcrops of rock using the fossils that they contain.

3). The Cambrian Lace Crab – Marrella splendens

Tucked along a precipitous mountain face in Yoho National Park in southeastern British Columbia, is an excavated pit which has produced some of the most important fossils the world has ever seen. This is the famous Burgess Shale quarry pit, which exposes sedimentary rocks that accumulated during the Cambrian Period early in the Palaeozoic Era, approximately 530 million years ago.

The animal life preserved in the Burgess Shale pit, called the “Burgess Shale Fauna,” is important as it documents an abundance of soft-bodied life-forms (that is, animals lacking shells) that represent a veritable explosion of evolutionary activity early in the history of large-scale life on Earth. Prior to this “Cambrian Explosion,” the world’s seas were seemingly the domain of simple life-forms, such as jellyfish and sponges. But around the time of the Burgess Shale, an abundance of new, unusual, and unique life forms appeared.

One of the most abundant and fascinating of these Burgess Shale forms is the “Lace Crab,” or Marrella splendens. Marrella has wispy appendages and unusual morphologic features which led palaeontologists starting in the 1970s to question the identification of many of the Burgess Shale fossils with the traditional arthropod groups to which they had been assigned. In fact, many of these forms were found to represent life forms which have no modern counterpart in the modern Earth biota, that is no extant relatives. It was only then that the true importance of the Burgess Shale fauna became clear.

The site preserves a record of many experimental life-forms that evolved early in the Palaeozoic Era, in the early beginnings of multicellular life, many of which proved to be evolutionary dead-ends which soon went extinct. Given its importance for the history of Life on Earth, the Burgess Shale quarry has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In the wonderfully well preserved fossil in the pictures, antennae, legs and even the delicate gills are clearly visible. Named the “Lace Crab” by Charles Doolittle Walcott, the famous American palaeontologist who discovered the first “Burgess Shale” fossils in 1909, Marrella is in fact believed to be a primitive nektonic (animal that swims actively) shrimp.

4. The Cretaceous Elasmosaur from Puntledge River

A superbly preserved, almost complete fossil of a Late Cretaceous marine reptile makes up this quartet of potential British Columbia provincial fossils. Elasmosaurs were long-necked plesiosaurs that lived world wide and survived until the very end of the Cretaceous period.

While individual pieces of elasmosaur specimens have been found at various localities in British Columbia, the most complete elasmosaur ever found in Canada, is the specimen on display in the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre on Vancouver Island. This elasmosaur specimen was found by an amateur paleontologist Mike Trask and his daughter Heather, who were looking for fossils along the Puntledge River one fine autumn afternoon in 1988.

Expecting to find the usual ammonites and clam fossils that are mostly found in these rocks, the father and daughter team was surprised to find what appeared to be fragments of vertebrae sticking out of the strata in a rock wall along the river. Subsequent collecting over the next several weekends turned up numerous teeth and bone fragments which eventually were found to be part of a complete jaw and skull.

Once the significance of the find was established, the Courtenay Museum organised a major scientific excavation of the fossil specimen, which galvanised local community attention. Many hundreds of volunteers turned out to help with the excavation work, firing the interest of many in the science of palaeontology. As a result of all this activity, one of British Columbia’s first palaeontological societies was formed, in Courtenay.

The 12-metre-long elasmosaur is one of the best preserved of all vertebrate Late Cretaceous fossils, ever found in North America. A replica of the specimen, is the star exhibit in the Courtenay and District Museum. The elasmosaurid is even used as the logo for this museum.

A Model of an Elasmosaurid

Provincial fossil candidate an elasmosaurid.

An elasmosaurid is a candidate for the Provincial fossil of British Columbia. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To see a replica model of an elasmosaurid and other prehistoric animal models, take a look at the CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Model range: CollectA Prehistoric Life Age of Dinosaurs Models.

These four specimens represent the diversity of the Canadian fossil record. British Columbia can be very proud of its fossils, all four candidates are strong contenders and the BCPA is inviting comments and feedback before a winner is selected.

After some debate amongst Everything Dinosaur team members, we have agreed to support the Marrella specimen. Not only is the degree of preservation exquisite but the Burgess Shale has yielded thousands of Cambrian fossils, many of which have their soft parts preserved and as such it is one of the most remarkable fossil sites in the world.

7 05, 2010

Shedding Light on our Closest Relative – The Amazing Neanderthal In All of Us

By Mike|2024-04-19T10:19:19+01:00May 7th, 2010|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Educational Activities, Main Page|0 Comments

The Neanderthal Genome Shedding Light on Human Evolution

A ten year project led by an international team of anthropologists and geneticists is shedding light on the H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis relationship as more information about the Neanderthal genome, the genetic make up of this extinct species of human is revealed.

Scientists involved in the project say the findings, published today in the journal “Science”, provide important information on the origin of our own species and the inter-relationships with the other hominid species with whom modern humans shared the world up to around 28,000 years ago – the Neanderthal.

Although earlier studies had cast doubt over whether modern humans interbred with Neanderthals, this study indicates that modern humans migrating out of Africa did interbreed with Neanderthals. This interbreeding could be one of the reasons why the Neanderthal is no longer with us (unless we count this DNA evidence that is), the Neanderthal could simply have been absorbed into the modern human genome.

The lead researcher, Svante Paabo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in Leipzig, Germany commentated:

“Having a first version of the Neanderthal genome fulfils a long-standing dream. For the first time we can now identify genetic features that set us apart from all other organisms, including our closest evolutionary relative.”

Neanderthal

The findings are based on bone samples of three female Neanderthals excavated from Croatia’s Vindija Cave, a site famous for its well preserved Neanderthal remains and artefacts. The fossilised bones of the individuals have been estimated by scientists to be approximately 38,000 years old. It is at around this time that Neanderthal remains and artefacts start to disappear from the fossil and archaeological record of Europe, with evidence of modern humans becoming far more common.

A Model of a Neanderthal Man

A CollectA Neanderthal man figure.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture shows a model of a Neanderthal man, to see this model range: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Range.

The scientists state that they have mapped sixty percent of the genome so far. They will continue their efforts to complete the sequence, to map the entire genetic code of the Neanderthal species, a project that they anticipate will take years.

The researchers compared the Neanderthal genetic material, with the genomes of five present-day humans from different regions of the world: China, France, Papua New Guinea and southern and western Africa.

Human Migration

The findings suggest that modern humans, after migrating out of Africa 80,000 to 45,000 years ago, bred with Neanderthals then in the Middle East before spreading further into Asia. In the scientific paper, the team conclude that between 1 to 4 percent of the modern human genetic make up of non-Africans can be traced back to a Neanderthal ancestor.

Over recent years, our understanding of Neanderthal stone tool technology and Neanderthal culture has changed and the slow witted, ape man image associated with Neanderthals in the past has been fully refuted.

To read an article about Anglo/American research into Neanderthal tool technology: Neanderthals not as Stupid as We Thought.

David Reich, a geneticist and associate professor at the Harvard Medical School Department of Genetics, commented on the paper stating:

“The main finding is that there was gene flow from Neanderthals into the ancestors of modern non-Africans.”

Neanderthals first appeared in the European fossil record about 400,000 years ago. The species persisted until approximately 28,000 years ago when the last Neanderthal enclaves (in the Iberian peninsula) died out.

Extracting DNA from the ancient bone samples was a daunting feat. Using a delicate dental drill, researchers collected tiny fragments of bone powder (500 milligrammes), roughly the size of a small asprin, from which to analyse and isolate Neanderthal DNA.

Svante Paabo stated:

“Six or seven years ago, I thought it would be impossible, at least my lifetime, to sequence the entire nuclear genome of Neanderthals.”

The bone samples contained very little preserved Neanderthal DNA. According to researchers, 95 to 97 percent of the DNA extracted was bacterial or from other organisms that had colonised the bone. The DNA fragments that were recovered were extremely small and contained chemical modifications that could have yielded false data.

Researchers also had to take special measures to extract the Neanderthal DNA without contaminating it with their own human DNA. Employing new computer technologies and software the team were able to map out the majority of the 4 billion-nucleotide Neanderthal genome.

Scientists are hoping that over the next few years more of the Neanderthal genome will be plotted.

To view the extensive range of prehistoric animal themed gifts and toys available from the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

6 05, 2010

Lobster Fisherman “catches” Beautiful 300-million-year-old Lobster

By Mike|2024-04-19T10:19:54+01:00May 6th, 2010|Animal News Stories, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

Canadian Fisherman Hauls up 300-million-year-old Lobster Claw

We have all heard stories of fishermen who tell of the “one that got away”, tall tales are as much a part of fishing as bait and boats, but for one Canadian fisherman, a remarkable stroke of luck whilst setting pot traps for lobster on the seabed led to the discovery of a 300-million-year-old lobster fossil.

For Canadian fisherman Colin Dandy a routine trip to set traps to catch shell fish and lobster of Cape Breton (Nova Scotia) turned out to be a red letter day for the history of crustacean palaeontology. Last year, Colin was fishing off the east coast of the isle of Cape Breton, close to the small islands known as the Bird Islands, when the fossil containing rock became hooked to the back of his boat’s scallop rack.

For Colin, a fisherman with over 30 years experience, he was able to recognise the strange object as the claw of a lobster but he did not know its age and importance.

Recalling the moment he first saw the rock containing fossil stuck on his scallop rack; Colin stated:

“I picked it up and hosed it off. I saw it was a lobster claw but I didn’t think it was that old.”

Once the fossil had been shown to an expert, at the local natural history museum, the true age and importance of this fossil was determined.

Dr Stuart Critchley, the Curator at the Cape Breton Fossil Centre stated:

“I looked at the fossil. It was surrounded by a thin layer of carbon. It is the same as the carbon we see on our plant fossils here. So as an educated guess, it was formed 300 million years ago, the same time as the Carboniferous era.”

A Stunning Fossil of a Sea Scorpion Claw

A stunning fossil of a sea scorpion (eurypterid) claw housed at the National Museum Cardiff (Wales) photographed in 2019 when team members at Everything Dinosaur visited. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters are members of the phylum Arthropoda, the largest phylum of all in the Kingdom Animalia. This phylum consists of insects, spiders, mites and several extinct groups such as the trilobites. The hard outer coating (exoskeleton) of arthropods usually consists of chitin, but it may be further strengthened by calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate, increasing the preservation potential of the hard outer shells of these animals. Some Arthropoda genera are important zonal fossils for palaeontologists, helping to establish the age of different rock strata.

For crustaceans like lobsters, growth occurs during periodic moulting when the exoskeleton is shed and a new larger exoskeleton formed. This means that a lobster may shed its hard outer shell on many occasions during its lifetime. The moulting of the exoskeleton leads to many fossils of cast and shed elements of shell in the fossil record as well as fossils of the dead animals.

It’s not the first time Dandy has seen a fossil like this. He said his father unearthed two similar fossils about 50 years ago. They are now at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. It is likely that the fisherman are placing their pot traps on a part of the seabed that consists of exposed fossil bearing rock. As pot traps tend to get set in the same area of seabed then the chances of a rigging on a pot bringing up a fossil increase, although the chances of finding a fossil using this method, no matter how fossiliferous the strata, are still remote.

Dandy’s recent find has been donated to the Cape Breton Fossil Centre, he said, so local children will be able to view it.

For models of ancient Palaeozoic creatures: Prehistoric Animal Models and Figures.

5 05, 2010

The Special Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 2010

By Mike|2024-04-19T10:23:01+01:00May 5th, 2010|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

Lyme Regis Welcomes Fossil Fanatics

The annual Lyme Regis Fossil Festival took place over the weekend (April 29th until May 2nd) and despite the unsettled weather, thousands of fossil fans, collectors and enthusiastic amateur palaeontologists descended on the Dorset town. This year’s festival theme “Dead or Alive”; celebrating the international year of biodiversity, was very appropriate as this part of the “Jurassic coast” is perhaps the best place to explore the ancient biodiversity of a prehistoric Mesozoic marine environment.

Some of the Beautiful Ammonite Fossils on Display at the Festival

Picture credit: Brandon Lennon (www.lymeregisfossilwalks.com)

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival

This part of Dorset is not just known for its spectacular fossils. To the east of the town of Lyme Regis, stretching out from Chesil beach is the Isle of Portland, a remote and beautiful part of the Dorset coast. The island is famous for its Portland stone, robust limestone that has been used in the construction industry since Roman times. Some of Britain’s most famous landmarks are made from Portland stone, iconic buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral, the Cenotaph and Buckingham Palace in London. Although regarded as an island, it is not surrounded by water, as Portland is linked to the mainland via Chesil beach. The quarries at Portland have revealed dinosaur trackways and many fossil invertebrates and at the fossil festival sculptors put on a display of their craft using the famous Portland limestone.

Sculpting Portland Stone at the Fossil Festival

Carving away at the Fossil Festival.

Picture credit: Brandon Lennon (www.lymeregisfossilwalks.com)

Of course, with so many local fossil experts on hand, there was plenty of opportunity to pick up a souvenir of the visit. Perhaps a fossil ammonite to call your own, or something a little more unusual such as fossil brachiopods or an ichthyosaurus vertebrae. A particularly wide selection of fossils for sale was seen at the Mike’s Minerals and Fossils with a number of local ammonite specimens plus other fossil curios such as preserved prehistoric fish from the Western United States.

Thanks to all the event organisers for helping to make the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival such a success this year and our thanks to Brandon Lennon for sending us some pictures.

To visit Brandon’s Fossil Shop: Lyme Regis Fossils for Sale.

4 05, 2010

What is a Fossil? That is an Excellent Question

By Mike|2024-04-19T10:24:00+01:00May 4th, 2010|Educational Activities, Geology, Main Page|1 Comment

Fossils – A Definition

One question that Everything Dinosaur team members get asked when they visit schools is what are fossils? This seemingly innocuous question is actually quite difficult to answer when the different types of fossil are considered. What is a fossil?

Essentially if we were to say that a fossil is the preserved remains of a once-living organism that has been buried in sediment that has over time become rock, this would not be entirely correct. This particular definition fails to encompass the many and varied different types of fossil that can be found.

What is a Fossil?

A more fundamental definition is required, for example, it would be true to say that a fossil is simply any evidence of ancient organisms, naturally preserved within the materials that make up the Earth. Usually, such evidence is found within sedimentary rock, the muds, silts and sands that are deposited in layers and over time form rock, but not all fossils are formed in this way small creatures, fungi and plant material can be preserved in tree resin that hardens into amber, Pleistocene animals and plants can be preserved frozen; such as Mammoths in the Arctic wastes of the Siberian Tundra. Occasionally, organisms may be trapped in fine volcanic ash and preserved in amazing detail and at Starunia in Poland, a complete rhinoceros was discovered pickled in a mixture of brine and tar. This specimen was over 100,000 years old, but it was so well preserved that its stomach contents could be studied.

The word “fossil” is derived from the Latin word “fossa” meaning “dug up”. In the 17th Century academics thought fossils consisted of both organic and inorganic matter, but by 1800 most agreed that fossils were purely of organic origin. However, how fossils came to exist was still hotly debated (indeed, the debate continues today).

Broadly there are three types of fossil; body, trace and chemical fossils the table below provides a brief description and some examples.

Different Types of Fossil

Table credit: Everything Dinosaur

Finding Fossils at Lyme Regis

Team members at Everything Dinosaur enjoy hunting for fossils. They try to visit Lyme Regis once or twice a year to hunt for fossils.

Fossils Found at Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis full of fossils.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

For replicas of iconic animals from the fossil record: Fossil Replicas and Educational Toys.