2012 | Everything Dinosaur Blog

5 10, 2012

A Review of the Carnegie Collectibles Saltasaurus

By Mike|2023-02-06T08:08:42+00:00October 5th, 2012|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Product Reviews|0 Comments

Saltasaurus Dinosaur Model Reviewed

It is always intriguing to see how model manufacturers interpret fossil evidence of long-necked dinosaurs, especially the titanosaurs as there is considerable debate regarding how these huge herbivores looked. For example, many of these quadrupeds may have been covered in armour, but to what degree is a hot topic amongst palaeontologists. Safari Ltd, the American replica and figure manufacturer have created a number of replicas of long-necked dinosaurs and the titanosaurs are represented by a 1:35 scale model of the South American dinosaur known as Saltasaurus (Saltasaurus loricatus).

Saltasaurus Dinosaur Model

The Carnegie Collectibles Saltasaurus Dinosaur Model

“Reptile from Salta Province”.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Saltasaurus fossils, the name means reptile from Salta Province (Argentina), were first unearthed in the early part of the 20th Century. A number of bony plates and scales were discovered and these were thought to be the armour plating on an ankylosaur-like, armoured dinosaur. However, it is now known that these bony plates, known as scutes were actually from an armoured, long-necked dinosaur. In the late 1970s, six partial skeletons were excavated and it was confirmed that the fossil remains represented a large, long necked dinosaur that had body armour. titanosaurs are regarded as advanced members of the Sauropoda clade of dinosaurs. Titanosaurs such as Saltasaurus are distinguished from the likes of the Jurassic Apatosaurus and Diplodocus by having extensive body armour, a much reduced or no thumb claw and proportionately wider hips.

Described in 1980

Described in 1980 by the Argentinian palaeontologist José Bonaparte and his colleague Jaime Powell, Saltasaurus was a relatively small, plant-eating dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous. It gets its name from a region in north-western Argentina, where fossils of this animal had been found. Measuring around twelve metres in length and weighing something like eight metric tonnes, this dinosaur was not as big as other South American titanosaurs that lived in the Early Cretaceous.

The Carnegie Collectibles Saltasaurus shows the dermal armour that this dinosaur had to good effect. The back and the flanks are covered with large, round bumps that give the impression of body armour, the skin texture has a roughened appearance and individual scales can be made out on the model. This dinosaur is posed with its left front foot and its left hind foot just touching the ground as if this animal is moving relatively quickly. Fossilised dinosaur footprints found in Salta Province which have been ascribed to Saltasaurus, show that this animal may have lived in herds and would have been able to move more quickly than Jurassic diplodocids, although it was still relatively slow, perhaps moving at a maximum speed of eight kilometres per hour.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of Carnegie Collectibles and other dinosaur models: Wild Safari Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

The markings around the eye are quite distinct, a series of black spots under the eye and a grey patch. Scientists believe that these type of dinosaurs may have had brightly coloured heads which were used to display to other members of the herd. There is also a hint of a small throat pouch on the model. The tail is held out behind the animal in a more modern anatomical interpretation of titanosaur posture.

This Saltasaurus model measures twenty-six and a half centimetres in length and based on a size estimate of twelve metres, the scale of the replica is more like 1:45 rather than the stated 1:35. Nevertheless, this is an excellent titanosaur replica and an interesting member of the Carnegie Collectibles dinosaur model range.

4 10, 2012

Pegomastax – A New Dinosaur with Fangs and Bristles

By Mike|2023-02-06T08:06:18+00:00October 4th, 2012|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories|0 Comments

New Dinosaur Fossil Provides Evidence of the Evolution of Bird-hipped Dinosaurs

A new type of primitive, bird-hipped dinosaur has been scientifically described nearly thirty years after the fossils were first examined. The tiny biped, perhaps no bigger than a domestic cat was a fleet-footed herbivore that roamed what was South Africa approximately 190 million years ago. Named as Pegomastax africanus (the name means thick jaw from Africa), this new genus of dinosaur has been described as a cross between a bird, a porcupine and Dracula as this little reptile had a light skeleton, bristles running along its neck and back and fang-like teeth. Despite its sharp teeth, located at the front of the jaw, Pegomastax has been placed amongst the Heterodontidae, a group of primitive ornithopods (bird-hipped dinosaurs), whose fossils have been found in southern Africa, the United States and Asia.

Pegomastax africanus

A Reconstruction of Pegomastax africanus

A dinosaur with fangs!

Picture credit: Tyler Keillor

The fossils of this dinosaur were recovered from sandstone deposits that were laid down in a desert environment. Note the large orbit (eye-socket) which indicates that this little herbivore had large eyes. Perhaps this animal was nocturnal.

Professor Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago and an acknowledged expert on African dinosaurs, published details of this new dinosaur in the on line journal “ZooKeys”, which also contains a review of other heterodontosaurid dinosaurs including discoveries made in southern England in the 19th Century. Paul first came across the fossil specimens back in 1983 when he was a graduate student doing research at Harvard University. The fossils had originally been discovered after an expedition to the Elliott Formation of Cape Province (South Africa) in the mid 1960s. Recalling the moment when he first saw the fossils, Professor Sereno stated:

“I said, whoa! I realised it was a new species from the moment I set eyes on it.”

However, Paul was distracted by other projects and he did not have the time to describe the specimen scientifically until very recently.

Professor Sereno went on to add:

“I describe it as a bird, a vampire and a porcupine. It had the weight of a small house cat and stood less than a foot off of the ground.”

Heterodontosaurid Dinosaur

The heterodontosaurids are an important group of herbivores which first evolved in the Triassic and persisted into the Cretaceous. Unlike most other dinosaurs, heterodontosaurids had different shaped teeth in their jaws. Some of the teeth at the front of the jaws were sharp and pointed like fangs. The teeth towards the back of the jaw were more square in shape and adapted to crushing plant material. At the front of the jaw there was a thick, blunt beak. The fang-like teeth may have been used to help dig up roots and tubers or perhaps they were used in displays to deter attacks from predators or to settle dispute amongst pack members. Most of the heterodontosaurids discovered to date were relatively small, measuring no more than a metre in length and most of this length being made up by a long tail.

However, this group is related to much larger, herbivorous dinosaurs that evolved later – the iguanodontids, hadrosaurs and the hypsilophodontids.

To view models and replicas of ornithischian dinosaurs such as hypsilophodonts, hadrosaurs and iguanodontids: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs (Popular Models).

An Illustration of Pegomastax africanus

A line drawing of Pegomastax.

Picture credit: Todd Marshall

This new dinosaur discovery represents one of the smallest genera of dinosaur known, to read about a relative of Pegomastax, Fruitadens discovered in the United States: Fruitadens, a tiny Ornithischian dinosaur.

3 10, 2012

Giant Salamanders Terrestrial Hunters of the Palaeogene

By Mike|2023-02-06T08:02:13+00:00October 3rd, 2012|Animal News Stories, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories|0 Comments

Research Shows that Giant Salamanders Were Once Land Dwelling Hunters

There are several species of giant Salamander living today, the largest Megalobatrachus japonicus grows up to 1.5 metres in length. Like all giant Salamanders this species prefers fast running, well-oxygenated streams and they are all very much aquatic creatures. However, a team of scientists studying ancestral giant Salamander fossils found in the Gobi desert; suggest that during the Palaeogene, these amphibians were very much at home on the land. Not only were these giant Salamanders terrestrial, but studies of the skull fossils and teeth indicate that these animals probably hunted on land too.

Giant Salamanders

Giant Salamanders are found today in Asia, with one species known from the United States. The heads and bodies of these creatures are flattened, the tail is laterally flattened and the paired limbs are relatively small and weak when compared to the rest of the body. Modern giant Salamanders lack eyelids and the larval teeth are retained into adulthood. In fact these amphibians only undergo a partial metamorphosis from the larval stage and retain larval characteristics as mature animals (a form of neoteny – when traits of juveniles are seen in adults).

Scientists studying the fossilised remains of the oldest known member of the Giant Salamander group (Cryptobranchidae), fossils found in Mongolia and dated to around fifty-five million years ago, have proposed that these animals were adapted to a life on land.

Four specimens of the Palaeogene species Aviturus exsecratus located at the Moscow Palaeontological Institute reveal that these amphibians had robust limbs, strong backbones and powerful jaws that suggest adaptations to a terrestrial environment.

Vertebrate palaeontologist Davit Vasilyan of the University of Tübingen (Germany) who helped write the scientific paper on this study states that Aviturus exsecratus had the strongest head muscles of any giant Salamander, suggesting it went on land to hunt. Supporting this idea is the fact that fossil remains of this salamander were found in rock typically formed from water’s-edge sediments. Unlike their modern descendants, these early Cenozoic amphibians went through extra stages of metamorphosis and lost some of the juvenile traits that are retained in adults today. The teeth for example, were much more developed than the teeth found in the large, wide mouths of their modern counterparts.

The evolution of terrestrial giant Salamanders coincides with a period of dramatic global warming (Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum), a time when much of the Earth became covered in tropical rain-forest and global temperatures rose to an average of around 26 degrees Celsius (compared to an average today of just 14 degrees Celsius).

Dr Vasilyan proposes that giant Salamanders first appeared as land based carnivores during this warm era, perhaps exploiting niches in the ecosystems that had yet to be properly filled after the mass extinction event that ended the Mesozoic some ten million years earlier. When global temperatures began to drop, these amphibians abandoned their more complete adult forms adapting to an entirely aquatic existence which still persists today.

Giant Salamanders Once Hunted on Land

Terrestrial predators.

Picture credit: Davit Vasilyan

It seems that these rare, aquatic creatures that we know today, were once powerful, land-based hunters.

For models and replicas of prehistoric creatures: Models of Prehistoric Creatures (CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular).

2 10, 2012

Safari Ltd – Important Information About Model Retirements 2013

By Mike|2024-04-24T16:47:33+01:00October 2nd, 2012|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products, Press Releases|1 Comment

Models that are being Retired by Safari Ltd in 2013

Safari Ltd have announced which of their figures and replicas are going to be retired in 2013. A number of models are not going to be made, but for dinosaur fans and collectors of prehistoric animal figures we shall focus here on those retirements from the Wild Dinos range and of course the company’s Carnegie Collectibles range of scale models.

Prehistoric Animal Figures

With the introduction in 2012 of the modified Brachiosaurus model showing the latest interpretation of Macronarian posture, it was always likely that the older Brachiosaurus model in the Carnegie Collectibles range would be retired. Safari Ltd have finally called time on the large 1:50 scale model (product code 412001), no more of these large brachiosaurs are going to be produced.

Due for Retirement – Brachiosaurus

Brachiosaurus being put out to grass.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Safari Ltd are not abandoning entirely this robust, swan-neck model type when it comes to it’s model range. A very similar Brachiosaurus with a slightly more modern posture (tail raised), is going to be introduced next year but this time in the Wild Safari Dinosaurs range.

New Brachiosaurus Model Due in 2013

New Brachiosaurus dinosaur model (Safari Ltd).

Picture credit: Safari Ltd/Everything Dinosaur

The Brachiosaurus is the only retirement announced from the Carnegie Collectibles model range, although the Wild Safari Dinosaurs range will lose two models next year. Suchomimus (product code 299629) and the Kentrosaurus (product code 300629) are being retired.

Kentrosaurus Model Due to be Retired

East African stegosaur due for the chop.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Kentrosaurus model was introduced in 2010 and it is sad to see this little stegosaur figure being retired. Everything Dinosaur does have a few models of this item in stock, but a spokesperson for the UK based dinosaur company stated that it was likely that stocks would sell out soon as collectors tried to add this model to their collections before it was too late.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of Safari Ltd dinosaur products: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Figures.

After the demise of the Andrewsarchus prehistoric mammal last year, it is also sad to report that the Amebelodon model (Prehistoric Life series code 283229) is also being retired. Stocks of this primitive elephant model are also to likely to be rapidly depleted.

Amebelodon off to the Elephant Graveyard

Amebelodon due to be retired in 2013.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

If Safari Ltd make any further announcements, team members at Everything Dinosaur will ensure that this information is posted up on the Everything Dinosaur blog and other Everything Dinosaur social media sites.

To view information on new model releases from Safari Ltd: Safari Ltd Announce New 2013 Prehistoric Animal Models.

1 10, 2012

The Little Book of Dinosaurs Reviewed

By Mike|2023-02-06T07:54:38+00:00October 1st, 2012|Book Reviews, Dinosaur Fans, Product Reviews|0 Comments

A Review of the Little Book of Dinosaurs

An ideal stocking filler for young dinosaur fans this Christmas is the pocket-sized “Little Book of Dinosaurs”, packed with facts and figures about some of the most fascinating creatures that lived in prehistoric times. Without much of a preamble, this little book launches straight into descriptions with well-crafted illustrations of various dinosaurs.

The Little Book of Dinosaurs

A pocket-sized guide to dinosaurs,

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Aimed at young readers from five years and upwards, this little book contains information on something like sixty different dinosaurs.

The writers have created sixty-four pages which are jammed full of information about the Dinosauria. The contents are split into twenty-nine sections which describe these prehistoric creatures, with the last section, number thirty being dedicated to a quick quiz to see if those young palaeontologists the book is aimed at have absorbed the information the book contains. The quiz answers are provided which will be a big relief to those parents, grandparents and guardians who will be tasked with helping their charges to read through the text.

The Little Book of Dinosaurs has been designed to help young children with their reading. The text is large and there are lots of sections in a bold font to help children develop their reading skills. Most dinosaurs are described on a single page, although some animals are given a double page spread. With short snippets of information with headings such as “Terrible Tyrants”, “Big Brains” and “Dagger Thumbs” there is much to appeal to young fans of these extinct reptiles.

There are colour illustrations throughout, although the lack of pictures of feathered dinosaurs makes some of the interpretations of dinosaurs such as the troodontids and psittacosaurs look a little dated. This book does permit young readers to enter the fascinating world of these Mesozoic animals and there are certainly a great range of the Dinosauria covered, from the turkey-sized Velociraptors up to the mighty tyrannosaurs such as T. rex and Albertosaurus.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s selection of dinosaur themed toys and gifts: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Toys and Gifts.

One particularly informative section deals with the concept of some, small predatory dinosaurs such as the dromaeosaurs living in small packs and adopting a pack hunting behaviour. Using the American dinosaur Deinonychus (D. antirrhopus), as an example, the authors speculate on how this type of predatory dinosaur hunted. Under the heading “Pack Hunters” how this dinosaur may have attacked prey is outlined and this section is illustrated with a series of black and white drawings showing how Deinonychus may have hunted the herbivorous Tenontosaurus.

An Example of the Text and Images

Well-crafted text for young readers.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

With the likes of Parasaurolophus, Centrosaurus, Allosaurus and the big sauropods such as Diplodocus and Apatosaurus included, this pocket-sized guide to dinosaurs makes an ideal Christmas gift for young dinosaur fans.

30 09, 2012

Potential Therizinosaur Track Discovered in Alaska

By Mike|2023-02-04T21:08:03+00:00September 30th, 2012|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans|2 Comments

Footprint Suggests Therizinosaurs may have Roamed Northern Latitudes

Located approximately 240 miles north of the Alaskan state’s largest city of Anchorage, the vast Denali National Park, has provided palaeontologists with a tantalising clue as to what strange beasts may have wandered this area in the Late Cretaceous, something like seventy million years ago.

The National Park, home to Mount McKinley, with a summit at 6,193 metres above sea level, the highest peak in North America, may also have been home to a bizarre group of theropod dinosaurs that converted from a meat-eating diet to a herbivorous one – the bizarre therizinosaurs. A single four-toed footprint suggests that these Cretaceous dinosaurs, otherwise known as “Scythe Lizards” may have roamed the Alaskan landscape.

Potential Therizinosaur Track

David Tomeo, the programme director for the Murie Science and Learning Centre located at Denali Park was wandering along a dried up river bed in the summer of 2010, when he spotted a strange raised impression. His mind was on all things Dinosauria as he was up there preparing a student field trip to explore the Park’s dinosaur discoveries, however, he did not expect to be confronted by what turned out to be a single dinosaur footprint. He was confident that the footprint did represent a dinosaur, but what sort of dinosaur could have made that track? The difficulty for David, was that he thought he could make out four toe impressions, most theropods (other than dromaeosaurs) walked on three toes and as a result left three-toed fossilised prints. Several photographs of the strange footprint, preserved in the mudstone were taken and these were sent to Tony Fiorillo, the curator of palaeontology at the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas (Texas) who has studied the dinosaur fossils found in northern Alaska.

Strange Dinosaur Footprint Preserved in the Mudstone

Therizinosaur track discovered?

Picture credit: David Tomeo

A battery (AA) has been put in the picture to provide a scale.

Dr Fiorillo and his colleagues, after a careful of examination of the evidence and a visit to the Park to view the specimen in situ, have identified the print as having been made by a therizinosaur. This is the first time fossils from this sort of dinosaur have been found at such a northerly latitude. Therizinosaurs are a rare and exclusively Cretaceous clade of the Order Theropoda. These creatures had short legs, stocky bodies with long necks and small heads. Scientists still debate whether these animals were entirely vegetarian. The arms were relatively long and the three-fingered hands had enormous, flattened claws. Importantly they walked on four toes and they were bipedal. Most of the therizinosaur fossils found to date have come from Asia, where they are believed to have first evolved, but one of the most complete specimens ever found was discovered in North America (western United States), this therizinosaur was named and described in 2001, it is known as Nothronychus mckinleyi.

An Illustration of a Typical Therizinosaur (Nothronychus mckinleyi)

Nothronychus illustrated.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

It seems sometime in the Cretaceous, these types of dinosaur migrated across a land bridge linking Asia to North America, probably where the Bering Strait can be found today. Intriguingly, the Alaskan footprint is something like twenty million years older than the fossils ascribed to Nothronychus. Does this indicate several migrations taking place between the Americas and Asia during the Late Cretaceous, or is the Alaskan trace fossil evidence of a population of therizinosaurs being resident in northern latitudes?

The Alaskan Therizinosaur Trackway (Print Outlined)

The print is highlighted in red.

Picture credit: David Tomeo/Everything Dinosaur

To help readers discern the footprint, team members at Everything Dinosaur have highlighted the approximate outline in red.

During the Late Cretaceous, Alaska was actually nearer to the North Pole than it is today. Although the climate would have been warmer, it would still have been a tough, harsh environment for animals to live in. There was no permanent snow covering, although it probably did snow from time to time. The landscape would have been dominated by dense conifer forests with an understorey of flowering plants and ferns. For four months of the year, the region would have been plunged into darkness as the sun dipped below the horizon. There would have been a short summer season with 24-hours of daylight with the sun never setting, but even with this permanent daylight, climatologists estimate that the maximum day time temperature was rarely above 13 degrees Celsius. There is fossil evidence to suggest that there were permanent dinosaur residents in this part of the world during the Late Cretaceous. Palaeontologists can only speculate whether the bizarre therizinosaurs were part of this permanent fauna or whether they were seasonal migrants, moving north to take advantage of the rich summer plant growth.

Dr Fiorillo and his colleagues have recently published a scientific paper on the recording of the first evidence to suggest that therizinosaurs roamed Alaska. A number of other dinosaurs are known from this part of North America. Fossils of the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus have been found, there is also evidence that horned dinosaurs may have been present . It is likely that there were many predatory dinosaurs as well, perhaps following the herds of herbivores on their seasonal migrations just as packs of wolves follow the caribou today. Palaeontologists have found fossils of a giant troodontid (dromaeosaur dinosaur), in Alaska. The fossils indicate that this particular theropod was perhaps four metres long, much bigger than troodontids that lived further south. This type of carnivorous dinosaur could have become specially adapted to living in the extreme climate of northern North America and it may have been a permanent resident in Alaska.

Ironically, in contrast to the relatively rich dinosaur fossil assemblage found in the strata of the Denali National Park, there are no species of reptile living in the Park today, the climate is just too severe and too cold for today’s cold-blooded reptiles.

For models of therizinosaurs and other theropods: Prehistoric Animal Replicas (CollectA Age of Dinosaurs).

29 09, 2012

Amazing Schleich Saurus Models Appear in the Guinness Book of Records 2013

By Mike|2024-04-24T16:47:58+01:00September 29th, 2012|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

Giganotosaurus and Quetzalcoatlus in Guinness Book of Records 2013

The new edition of the Guinness Book of Records has just been published. This compendium of unusual facts and statistics comes out at this time of year and updates readers on record breaking feats and achievements. It is a book that is targeted very much at the Christmas market and many people purchase this item each year so they can keep abreast of all the changing world records. If there is an area of human endeavour, an aspect of the natural world – animal, vegetable or mineral it seems that somebody, somewhere, holds a record and the Guinness team have set about compiling a immense volume cataloguing it all.

Schleich Dinosaur Models

Once again dinosaurs get a mention. In the section detailing record breakers in the natural world, the size of some dinosaurs and how big they were in comparison to living animals today is provided. There are so many types of record but the Dinosauria do get some space allocated to them every year. However, this year, in a change from previous years, the majority of the animals, living or extinct in the section on animal records are represented by their Schleich model equivalents. Two prehistoric animals, models from the Schleich Saurus series can be seen in the Guinness Book of Records book, the Quetzalcoatlus and the Saurus Giganotosaurus.

Featured in the Guinness Book of Records 2013

Prehistoric Animal Record Breakers.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Both these prehistoric animals can be regarded as record breakers in their own way. Giganotosaurus (G. carolini) is widely regarded as the largest meat-eating, terrestrial animal known to science (not including the Spinosaurus genus, although there are several other contenders*). The pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus (Q. northropi) is thought of as one of the largest flying animals of all time. Palaeontologists estimate that some individual specimens may have had a wingspan in excess of eleven metres and, although it is difficult to estimate the weight of pterosaurs a body weight of around 100 kilogrammes has been proposed.

Other theropod contenders for the largest meat-eating, terrestrial animal:

Mapusaurus,
Carcharodontosaurus
Saurophaganax
Acrocanthosaurus
Tyrannosaurus rex

To name a few…

To view the extensive range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal models available from Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models and Figures.

28 09, 2012

Safari Ltd Announces New for 2013 Prehistoric Animal Models

By Mike|2024-04-24T16:34:47+01:00September 28th, 2012|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Press Releases|11 Comments

New Additions to Carnegie Collectibles Range and other Prehistoric Series from Safari Ltd

A sneak peek at the 2013 releases from Safari Ltd and it is great to see a number of exciting additions to the already extensive Safari Ltd replica range. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the relationship between the manufacturer and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, a 1:25 scale model of the recently discovered theropod Concavenator is being introduced.

Prehistoric Animal Models

Carnegie Collectibles Concavenator Model

Concavenator dinosaur model.

Picture credit: Safari Ltd/Everything Dinosaur

The model will measure nearly 18 cm long and stand 9 cm tall, an exciting new model for the Carnegie scale model dinosaur collectibles range.

Fans of pterosaurs and marine reptiles won’t be disappointed as amongst the new additions to the Wild Safari Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life series there is a colourful model of the Jurassic pterosaur Dimorphodon and a model of an Elasmosaurus.

Taking to the Air in 2013 – Dimorphodon

Pterosaur for 2013.

Picture credit: Safari Ltd/Everything Dinosaur

The Dimorphodon will be approximately 13 cm long (including tail) and have a wingspan in excess of 20 cm.

Elasmosaurus Model from Safari Ltd

Cretaceous plesiosaur replica.

Picture credit: Safari Ltd/Everything Dinosaur

The Elasmosaurus mode will measure approximately 25 cm in length.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s existing Safari Ltd models: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models and Figures.

Gryposaurus

Other new models in the Wild Safari Dinos (not to scale range) include the hadrosaur, Gryposaurus from the Campanian faunal stage of North America, care has been taken to skilfully re-create the spiny ridge along this dinosaur’s back.

Wild Safari Gryposaurus

New duck-billed dinosaur for 2013.

Picture credit: Safari Ltd/Everything Dinosaur

This new hadrosaur measures a little under 22 cm long.

Not to be outdone the trend to include more ceratopsians continues with a replica of Diabloceratops due out next year. This horned dinosaur from Utah “Devil Horned Face” is bound to be a hit with model collectors.

Wild Safari Diabloceratops Dinosaur Model

“Devil Horned Face”.

Picture credit: Safari Ltd/Everything Dinosaur

One other interesting “new” Safari model is a reproduction of a Brachiosaurus in the Wild Safari range that resembles the older brachiosaurid found in the Collectibles scale model range from this company (product code ref: 412001). A more modern interpretation of a brachiosaur was introduced into the Wild Dinos Safari range a couple of years back and now Safari have added a robust “swan-necked” Brachiosaurus to their not to scale range.

Brachiosaurid Replica Due out in 2013

A traditional Brachiosaur interpretation?

Picture credit: Safari Ltd/Everything Dinosaur

The Brachiosaurus will measure approximately 30 cm long and stand 35 cm tall making it larger than the current Brachiosaurus model in the Wild Safari range.

Finally, in terms of new model introductions, there is exciting news for all fans of the “Terror Birds”, the long awaited Gastornis/Diatryma model is also going to be released next year – a sneaky peek below:

Terror Bird – Gastornis New for 2013

New for the Prehistoric Life range – Gastornis.

Picture credit: Safari Ltd/Everything Dinosaur

The Gastornis model will measure 8.5 cm by 7 cm approximately.

So much for the vertebrate palaeontologists amongst you, but for once invertebrate palaeontologists have been remembered by Safari Ltd and the company is going to introduce a special tube set featuring fauna from the Cambrian geological period. Based on fossil discoveries from the Burgess Shale this ten figure model set will feature iconic Palaeozoic creatures such as a trilobite and Anomalocaris plus a model of England’s very own Charnia (hoorah for Leicestershire).

Cambrian Fauna (Tube Set) from Safari Ltd

Say hello to Cambrian wildlife.

Picture credit: Safari Ltd/Everything Dinosaur

Team members at Everything Dinosaur will continue to keep model fans and collectors up to date with new 2013 introductions watch this space or check out Everything Dinosaur on Facebook or Google Plus for the latest news.

Everything Dinosaur on Facebook: Catch Up with Everything Dinosaur on Facebook.

Take a look at Everything Dinosaur on Instagram: Everything Dinosaur on Instagram.

27 09, 2012

Last Recommended Posting Dates for Christmas 2012 (Important and Helpful Information)

By Mike|2024-04-24T16:35:23+01:00September 27th, 2012|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Press Releases|0 Comments

Christmas Posting Dates – Information

Halloween merchandise might be filling up the aisles in the shops but Christmas is only just round the corner. There are only ninety days left before Christmas day, so time to start thinking about Christmas shopping, especially if you wish to send something overseas, a gift for a relative abroad and such like. In a bid to help our customers, Everything Dinosaur will be extending our packing hours once again this Christmas and we will continue to pack and despatch goods for customers on Saturday mornings. We genuinely try to do all we can to ensure items ordered from Everything Dinosaur are despatched as quickly as possible.

The information below is the guide published by Royal Mail as to the last safe posting dates for Christmas mail sent in the UK and overseas.

A Table Illustrating the Last Safe Posting Dates for Christmas

Recommended Last Posting Dates.

Table credit: Everything Dinosaur and Royal Mail

Staff at Everything Dinosaur will do all they can to assist customers and below is a list of helpful hints and tips about the Christmas post. Please remember the dates listed above are guidelines only and they are the last recommended posting dates, the best advice we can give you is to post early for Christmas, in this way you are helping to ensure that parcels arrive in time for the big day.

1). Remember to include the house number or house name with the delivery address information.

2). Check postcode/zip code details carefully.

3). Before pressing the “submit” button to send an order to Everything Dinosaur, check the delivery address one last time.

4). Remember, with PayPal, Google Checkout and our own website’s ordering process customers can write a message to us in the order message box. You can write in confirmation of delivery address or any specific, relevant information required to help ensure a rapid delivery.

5). If you want to specify a different delivery address to your billing address, our website allows you to do this easily and without fuss.

6). If you want to send an item to your work address, please ensure that you include the company name in the delivery address information.

7). For deliveries in the UK, Royal mail are running a “deliver to your neighbour” service, if you let us know that the parcel can be left with a neighbour, just let us know, remembering to tell us the house number and we will make sure this information is put on the front of your parcel for you.

If you have a query about Christmas deliveries, or indeed any aspect of Everything Dinosaur’s delivery service please feel free to contact us: Contact Everything Dinosaur.

To view the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur’s Website.

26 09, 2012

The New Dinosaur Dictionary (Book) Reviewed

By Mike|2024-04-24T16:35:48+01:00September 26th, 2012|Book Reviews, Product Reviews|0 Comments

A Review of the Dinosaur Dictionary (Book Review)

Many parents and guardians are keen to encourage reading and one way to motivate a child to read more is to provide them with books that they enjoy about subjects they are interested in. Within the United Kingdom many primary schools are moving towards a more creative curriculum and dinosaurs are becoming increasingly popular with teachers and teaching assistants as a term topic. Finding suitable reading materials to encourage young children to learn about science as well as to help develop their reading skills can be difficult. However, with the advent of this child-friendly dinosaur dictionary we think this book is certainly a step in the right direction.

Dinosaur Dictionary

The Dinosaur Dictionary is aimed at children from four years and upwards and provides young palaeontologists with a handy dinosaur A-Z! It is a colourful, child’s dictionary complete with a well thought out pronunciation guide to help children (and their parents), to pronounce the many complicated and lengthy prehistoric animal names contained in the sixty four pages of this book.

Dinosaur Dictionary – A Child-Friendly Dinosauria A-Z

*Suitable for children aged 4 and over.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

There are over one hundred prehistoric animals and dinosaurs featured in the book, the vast majority from the Mesozoic Epoch, which is generally regarded as the “Age of Reptiles”.

The dictionary starts with the Late Cretaceous titanosaur known as Alamosaurus. This long-necked dinosaur that lived at the same time as Tyrannosaurus rex could well turn out to be one of the largest land living animals of all time, if recent fossil finds prove conclusive regarding this huge, herbivore’s size. The dictionary provides a brief description of this dinosaur, and in common with all the other entries there is a colourful illustration of the creature and a black and white scale drawing showing size. Each entry has plenty of facts about the particular animal being discussed and all the famous dinosaurs as well as some of the more unusual reptiles that shared their prehistoric world are included.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of dinosaur themed toys and gifts: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Toys and Gifts.

Zephyrosaurus

The last dinosaur listed is Zephyrosaurus (hypsilophodontid dinosaur), one of the lesser known dinosaurs from the North American Cretaceous. The book also includes a handy glossary and an short chapter introducing the Dinosauria, outlining when they lived and how they evolved. The text is large and has been carefully compiled to enable young children to read the facts and figures about these prehistoric creatures with ease, there might be the odd scientific errata but the text and design of this book is aimed at delighting young dinosaur fans and helping them with their reading and it is likely that this publication will achieve these aims.

This young persons book is an excellent prehistoric animal A-Z! A colourful dinosaur dictionary, complete with pronunciation guide, making sixty-four pages From Alamosaurus to Zephyrosaurus. In summary, a handy, well-illustrated guide to over one hundred dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

One of the Horned Dinosaurs Illustrated in this Dinosaur Book

*Encouraging young people with their reading.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A typical entry from the Dinosaur Dictionary is shown above, the text is large and encourages reading in young people, there are lots of facts and each prehistoric animal featured is illustrated.

Fun Fact!

There are more prehistoric animals represented under the letter “C” than under any other letter in the Dinosaur Dictionary.