The Dinosauria over the Last Sixty Years

Over the next few days a number of events are being held around the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth  II, who has been the queen for sixty years.  The queen’s coronation was held on the second of June 1953, but she actually ascended to the throne a year earlier on the death of her father, King George VI.  At Everything Dinosaur, the challenge was how to create a banner for placing on our website celebrating the occasion and how to incorporate palaeontology and specifically dinosaurs into the theme.

Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur – Diamond Jubilee Banner

A Royal occasion with one or two dinosaurs.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

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For example, if the queen reigns for another three years and one hundred days or so, she will become the longest reigning British monarch, passing Queen Victoria who reigned from 1837 until 1901.  It was in the reign of Queen Victoria that the word Dinosauria was first coined.  Richard Owen (later Sir Richard Owen), used the phrase “fearfully great lizards”, otherwise referred to as “terrible lizards” to establish a new Order of reptiles – the dinosaurs.

More different types of dinosaurs have been discovered in the reign of Her Majesty the Queen than in the reign of any other British monarch.  In fact, more dinosaur species have been named and described in the last sixty years than in the previous one hundred and fifty years.

The dinosaur featured on the banner, wearing the Union Jack bowler hat and holding a Union Jack flag is a Proceratosaurus.  This dinosaur was chosen at it was named and described in the year her Majesty was born (1926).  The fossils of this dinosaur were found in England (Gloucestershire), this is the county where two of the queen’s children Prince Charles and Princess Anne have their royal residences (Highgrove House and Gatcombe Park).  Proceratosaurus is believed to be a member of the tyrannosaur family (Tyrant Lizard Kings), appropriate to have a tyrannosaur on a banner celebrating a royal occasion.  In addition, this dinosaur although discovered in England, was named by a German palaeontologist, our Royal family (the house of Windsor) are of German descent.

Proceratosaurus Celebrates a Royal Occasion

Theropod enters into the party spirit.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Let’s hope the weather improves and that the forecast rain does not occur so that the diamond jubilee celebrations can proceed under clear, blue skies.

Hope everybody has fun.  Congratulations your Majesty.

To return to Everything Dinosaur’s home page: The Everything Dinosaur Website.