2012 | Everything Dinosaur Blog

7 08, 2012

Fossil Dealer Files Claim to Get Back Disputed Tarbosaurus

By Mike|2023-03-09T10:53:41+00:00August 7th, 2012|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories|0 Comments

Tale of the Tarbosaurus Takes a Twist Dispute over Tyrannosaur Skeleton

The legal dispute over the ownership of a tyrannosaur skeleton that had been auctioned in May of this year for the sum of $1.052,500 USD has taken another twist with the Florida fossil dealer who had originally put the specimen up for sale making it clear that he wants the skeleton back.

Tyrannosaur Skeleton

Heritage Auctions, based in New York, had conducted the sale of an eight-metre-long, mounted specimen of the Asian tyrannosaur Tarbosaurus bataar. The sale did go ahead despite a petition from palaeontologists and the attempted intervention of the Mongolian Government. The Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia himself intervened claiming that the fossil material was the property of his country.

Most Tarbosaurus fossil material has been excavated from the Nemegt Formation of Upper Cretaceous strata of Mongolia. It has been illegal to take such fossil material out of the country for at least fifty years. The Mongolian Government attempted to stop the auction, claiming that the material had been obtained illegally, probably as a result of smuggling. The fossils were seized and are now in the custody of United States customs officials.

The Tarbosaurus Skeleton at the Centre of the Dispute

Heading for court.

Picture credit: Heritage Auctions

A team of North American palaeontologists assisted by Mongolian scientists examined the fossils and they declared that in all likelihood the fossil bones had come from Mongolia. The fossil is now the subject of a federal lawsuit which has been filed in order to resolve the ownership issue and to have the specimen returned to Mongolia, where it can join other Tarbosaurus specimens and become part of a study of this particular tyrannosaur genus.

To read the original article about the fossil auction: Tyrannosaurid Up for Auction.

Objecting by Petition

At Everything Dinosaur, when the auction was first announced, our team members petitioned against the sale taking place, at least to delay the auction so that rightful ownership could be established. In a separate development, the fossil dealer responsible for preparing and mounting the specimen has filed his own proceedings in an attempt to fight the authorities and their attempt to have the material shipped to Mongolia. The Florida-based fossil dealer, Eric Prokopi states in his claim that he:

“Purchased components of the tyrannosaur on the international market and then spent a year of his life and considerable expense, identifying, restoring, mounting and preparing it.”

This terminology reflects the work Prokopi put into preparing the mounted dinosaur, Prokopi’s attorney Michael McCullough said in a statement:

“We are just trying to create a factual distinction between a fossil which is imported and a finished piece which is what was being sold at the auction.”

Filing Documentation

The documentation filed to enable the material to enter the United States has also been questioned. A reason for the official seizure of the specimen by the U. S. authorities through the process of submitting a lawsuit was that the import documents did not attest to the true value of what was being brought into the United States. The U. S. authorities have claimed that the relics had been brought into the country with documents that disguised the potentially valuable dinosaur skeleton and misrepresented what was actually being imported.

To read more about the actual seizure of the fossil material: U.S. Authorities Seize Tarbosaurus.

Mr Prokopi has disputed that the dinosaur fossils came from Mongolia, in a statement released earlier he challenged the assumptions made by the palaeontologists who had examined the bones saying that the fossils could have come from elsewhere, he stated:

“Other than from the diggers, there is no way for anyone to know for certain when or where the specimen was collected.”

Refuting Allegations

Strongly refuting the accusations and allegations that he had been involved in fossil smuggling, the Florida fossil dealer went onto add:

“I’m just a guy in Gainesville, Florida, trying to support my family, not some international bone smuggler.”

Had no counter claim been filed, then the U. S. authorities would have taken legal possession of the fossils, but now it looks like this dispute is heading for court. Tarbosaurus is going to have to go on trial. Anyone else with a legal interest in the dinosaur has until August 26th to file a claim.

When the original customs documents are examined it can be seen that the fossils were shipped to America from a Dorset based, professional fossil collector and dealer. Sources state that in the contract with Heritage Auctions, this English fossil dealer would have split the proceeds of the auction with Mr Prokopi. The Dorset fossil dealer has not been named in the federal lawsuit and the Englishman’s lawyer in a statement, took steps to distance his client from the proceedings.

For information and advice about fossil collecting: Contact Everything Dinosaur by Email.

6 08, 2012

Is Usain Bolt the Fastest Man on the Planet of All Time?

By Mike|2023-02-04T07:32:31+00:00August 6th, 2012|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Press Releases|10 Comments

Ancient Humans Were Fast Runners Too

Last night in the Olympic stadium (London), Usain Bolt the Jamaican sprinter, retained the Olympic 100 metres title in a winning time of 9.63 seconds. He took just forty-one strides to complete the course, breaking the Olympic record for the distance as he did so. The twenty-five-year-old crossed the finish line at something in excess of 23 mph, his training partner and fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake came in second in a phenomenal 9.75 seconds. Over one million people had applied for tickets to see what is regarded by many as the blue-ribbon event of the entire Games and to witness the great Jamaican sprinters in action. However, one scientist thinks that some ancient humans could give Usain Bolt and company a run for their money.

Ancient Humans

Anthropologist Peter McAllister thinks that a set of preserved footprints of aborigines in Australia suggests that some early settlers on that continent would have been right up there with the likes of Bolt if they were asked to run the 100 metres final. Mr McAllister’s analysis of the footprints suggests that this group of humans were capable of running at up to 23 mph, bare foot and over soft mud in their pursuit of prey. Or perhaps they were being pursued themselves, trying to avoid becoming a meal for one of the many super-predators that they shared their Australian home with.

The prints of six men chasing prey and Mr McAllister’s analysis leads him to believe these men if trained and provided with modern running shoes could beat Usain Bolt in a sprint. Peter claims that these ancient ancestors of ours could theoretically reach sprinting speeds of up to 28 mph. It is not known what speeds the likes of Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake or Tyson Gay could reach if they were being chased and in fear of their lives.

There has been a lot of debate about just how fast this group of humans were running. The tracks are located at Willandra Lakes (south-east Australia), one individual, known as T8, changes he stride length from 1.8 metres to 1.9 metres over a distance of approximately 11 metres. This suggests acceleration, in other words this person began to run faster, however estimates of the speed of these bare-footed people running across soft mud does vary. Some scientists have calculated that this runner was moving at around thirteen miles an hour, a lot slower than an Olympic sprinter. However, Mr McAllister states that with training, on the right track and with running shoes T8 could run perhaps as fast as 28 mph.

To read a more complete article regarding the abilities of ancient hominids: Could Ancient Humans Kick Butt?

We’re not taking anything away from Usain Bolt in terms of his achievements, he is a truly remarkable athlete, but our ancestors were much more used to hard physical work when compared to their modern counterparts. Perhaps given the right training, nutrition and equipment; a New Stone Age Man or Woman could compete with today’s Olympians.

Comments have been made in the Australian media about the relatively poor showing of Australian competitors at these Games, perhaps our chums down under can take comfort in the fact that an anthropologist believes that at least some ancient Australians would have been medal contenders.

For replicas and models of ancient humans and hominids: Prehistoric Animal Models and Ancient Human Replicas (Safari Ltd).

5 08, 2012

Our Favourite and Most Fascinating Fossil Fish – Placoderms

By Mike|2024-01-02T06:58:31+00:00August 5th, 2012|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates|0 Comments

Fans of Dunkleosteus et al

One of the questions in our inbox yesterday was from an avid dinosaur model collector who wanted to know apart from dinosaurs what were the other animals from the fossil record that we most admired. For example, what was our favourite fish fossil? An unusual question, one that led to much debate in the office but after a lengthy discussion we went for the placoderm Dunkleosteus, a huge predatory fish of the Devonian geological period.

The “Age of Fishes”

Often referred to as the “Age of Fishes” the Devonian featured an abundance of diverse vertebrate life forms in rivers, lakes, estuaries and in the sea. The group of fishes known as the “jawed fishes” evolved into a myriad of forms, ray-finned fish, lobe finned, lungfishes, the first sharks and the placoderms. It is from the jawed fish that the ancestors of the first land animals evolved.

An Illustration of the Huge Placoderm Dunkleosteus

A giant prehistoric fish.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Placoderm Dunkleosteus

Placoderms, the correct term is Placodermi, were armoured fish that evolved in the Silurian, rapidly diversified to exploit a number of marine and freshwater environments during the Devonian before rapidly declining and becoming extinct at the end of this geological period. These jawed fishes had articulated armour on their heads and thorax.

Dunkleosteus was one of the largest of the placoderms, and at up to ten metres long, one of the largest fish known from Devonian strata. Although the body was not very streamlined, it was a nektonic (actively swimming), apex predator. Fossils of Dunkleosteus have been found in North America, Europe and North Africa. Some palaeontologists have estimated that larger specimens could have weighed more than four tonnes.

Powerful Jaws

The powerful jaws could be closed together like a pair of self-sharpening shears. This strange fish was formally named and described in 1873 by Dr John Newberry; the genus name is in honour of the famous American palaeontologist Dr David Dunkle of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

A number of museums have examples of Dunkleosteus fossils on display. The armoured head and thorax plates, some of which could be five centimetres thick; make a spectacular mounted exhibit in the fish gallery of natural history museums. There are large placoderm fossils on display at the London Natural History Museum as well as at the American Museum of Natural History and the Musee National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris.

If you look carefully at the armoured plates you can see that on a number of these fossils there are deep scratches and puncture wounds. These are the scars indicating that Dunkleosteus did not always get its own way. The wounds would have been inflicted by prey items as they tried to defend themselves, or perhaps even the largest of these armoured fishes was hunted and predated upon.

Hunting Placoderms

What would hunt a four tonne, ten metre long prehistoric fish? Palaeontologists have speculated that these fishes may have been cannibals or that young fish may have been hunted by sharks.

A Museum Exhibit of the Placoderm Dunkleosteus

A Dunkleosteus cast on display.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Safari Ltd of the United States created a superb, bronze-coloured Dunkleosteus model as part of the company’s Wild Safari Dinos prehistoric animal model range. It was introduced about five years ago and since it first came on the market it has proved very popular with prehistoric animal model collectors. It is certainly very desirable the Wild Safari Dinos Dunkleosteus model.

To view the extensive range of prehistoric animal models including Dunkleosteus available from Everything Dinosaur, click this link: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Figures.

4 08, 2012

Monster Prehistoric Crocodile from Queensland

By Mike|2023-02-04T06:54:45+00:00August 4th, 2012|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories|2 Comments

Huge “Super-Croc” May be Biggest Crocodile of All Time

Scientists in Queensland (Australia) have uncovered part of a fossilised jawbone that suggests the rivers and lakes of ancient Australia may have been home to a super-sized, monster prehistoric crocodile that would not have looked out of place if it had lived at the time of the dinosaurs. The island of Australia has been isolated from other land masses for millions of years, this has permitted the fauna and flora to evolve without competition from other genera migrating into the country. Marsupial mammals still dominate today and in the past Australia had its own, unique mega-fauna including cow-sized wombats, a giant monitor lizard called megalania and fearsome predators such as marsupial lions. The megafaunal assemblage of Australia survived into the Pleistocene but the arrival of human settlers and climate change led to the extinction of most of these animals.

Monster Prehistoric Crocodile

Scientists were aware that crocodiles had diversified and evolved into a myriad of different species. The discovery of a partial jawbone suggests that at least one type of crocodile evolved into a giant, perhaps a contender for the biggest crocodylian known from the fossil record. Australia is home to the Saltwater crocodile, otherwise known as the Estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), it is the largest species of reptile on the planet, with males reaching lengths in excess of seven metres and weighing more than a tonne. It is often referred to as “Australia’s own dinosaur”, but like all crocodylians, it is only very distantly related to the Dinosauria. University of New South Wales palaeontologists who found the fragment of crocodile jaw state that this individual was at least eight metres long and there may have been others of its kind that were even larger, perhaps reaching the size of Sarcosuchus, a twelve-metre-long crocodylian that lived during the Late Cretaceous geological period and preyed on dinosaurs.

The fossil was found at a dig site at Floraville Station, on the Liechardt River, between the towns of Normanton and Burketown in the Gulf of Carpentaria (Queensland). This location has provided scientists with a number of Pleistocene and older Pliocene fossils including the remains of giant wombats (diprotodontids).

Australian Scientists Report on Giant Fossil Crocodile

King of the Outback!

Picture credit: Adapted from the Sunday Mail (Queensland)

The fossil was discovered by undergraduate Bok Khoo from the University of New South Wales on July 10th, it is part of the lower jaw (dentary). The fossil bearing strata consists of several layers which represent ancient river deposits. The dig site is close to the current course of the Liechardt River and the sediment is disturbed when the water levels rise and this helps to expose new fossil finds. The river may help reveal fossil material but being close to the river does have its drawbacks. The location is known for its Saltwater and Freshwater crocodiles as well as sharks and sting rays. The field team have to be wary of attacks from extant crocodiles as they search for the fossilised remains of extinct ones.

Gilbert Price, a palaeontologist with Queensland University has commented that the jaw bone represents a substantial individual, one crocodile that was very probably an apex predator in the region. The fossil has yet to be accurately dated, it belongs to either the Pleistocene or the earlier Pliocene Epoch. The Pliocene ended approximately 1.6 million years ago, the Pleistocene Epoch followed and lasted until approximately 10,000 years ago. The climate around the Gulf of Carpentaria today has two distinct seasons, a wet season and a long dry season. For most of the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs, this part of Australia was much more humid and wetter. Scientists have speculated that this huge crocodile could have lived as far south as the State of Victoria. The research team hope to subject the specimen to radiocarbon dating, this will give them a better idea as to whether the fossil represents a known species of crocodile or whether it is new to science.

Student Bok Khoo with the Crocodile Fossil

Huge fossil of crocodile jaw found.

Picture credit: Laurie Beirne

The fossil is eroded, a result of the river action and the teeth have been lost but the tooth sockets which measure up to four centimetres in diameter indicate that this predator had very large, conical-shaped teeth. Professor Mike Archer of the University of New South Wales described the fossil as “weird” and he could not rule out that this fossil find could represent a new species.

He jokingly added:

“It it is not a crocodile, it is a bunyip [aboriginal mythical monster], or something equally as weird. Something very, very big that we have never seen before.”

Although the scientists are hopeful that they may be able to find more fossils of this unusually large crocodylian they have postulated that it could represent a member of the crocodile genus known as Pallimnarchus, perhaps being a specimen of Palimnarchus pollens, the largest species in the genus. The Pallimnarchus crocodiles belong to an extinct family of crocodiles known as the Mekosuchinae. These crocodiles evolved in the Palaeogene geological period, following the extinction of the dinosaurs and spread across the south Pacific evolving into a number of diverse forms. Some Mekosuchinae crocodiles were water-based ambush predators just like today’s “Salties”, but other types evolved entirely differently. A number of these types of crocodile became fleet-footed, land based predators, some even adapted to an arboreal existence becoming apex predators in forested habitats.

The Australian scientists are keen to continue their fieldwork in the hope of finding more skull material from this ancient giant.

3 08, 2012

A Surge in Mountain Building Led to Dinosaur Diversification

By Mike|2023-03-08T13:32:17+00:00August 3rd, 2012|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Geological Processes Led to the Huge Variety of Horned and Duck-Billed Dinosaurs in North America

Over the last twenty years or so, palaeontologists studying the Late Cretaceous fauna of North America have discovered an amazing variety of ornithischian dinosaurs in strata laid down between 80 million and 70 million years ago. A number of horned dinosaurs such as Vagaceratops, Utahceratops and Kosmoceratops as well as a number of new genera of hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs) have been described from western North America.

Most palaeontologists have been focused on mapping the faunal distribution and studying the myriad of new plant-eating dinosaur species that have been found, but a number of scientists are now turning to the mystery of why so many different types of dinosaur evolved in this part of the world during the last few million years of the Cretaceous.

Utahceratops – Part of Dinosaur Diversification

Late Cretaceous dinosaur diversification in North America.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Late Cretaceous Fauna

For one team of researchers based at Ohio University, the explanation as to dinosaur diversity lies in the geology. The rise of the Rocky Mountain range and the appearance and then disappearance of a huge, inland seaway that split North America into a series of islands, may have been the catalysts for an explosion in megafauna diversity. The research team from the University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine have had their paper published in the on line scientific journal PloS One (public library of science). They state that the rapid changing geology led to populations of animals being isolated which may explain the patterns of evolution, migration and rapid dinosaur diversification.

The presence of different dinosaur faunas in different parts of North America is referred to as provinciality by Everything Dinosaur team members.

Terry Gates, the lead author of the paper and a post-doctoral student at the University commented:

“Over the past century, palaeontologists have found a wide variety of dinosaurs in rocks dating to around 75 million years ago, but right before the asteroid hit at the end of the Cretaceous, there appeared to be fewer species in North America. The reason for this discrepancy in dinosaur diversity has never been adequately explained.”

The research team set out to examine the geological record of what was to become the continent of North America, focusing on the United States and Canada. During the Campanian faunal stage of the Cretaceous, a time in the Earth’s history that roughly relates to 83 million years ago to 74 million years ago there was extensive plate tectonic activity that led to mountain ranges being pushed up and the sinking of much of the continental landmass under an inland sea (known as the Western Interior Seaway). At its most extensive, this seaway covered much of North America from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

Dinosaur Diversification

In the later Maastrichtian faunal stage, that lasted from 74 million years ago up until the mass extinction event 66 million years ago, there was less extensive plate activity. This coincided with a decline in the number of genera of dinosaur known from the fossil record. Palaeontologists have interpreted this as evidence as a fall in the number of dinosaur species living in North America towards the very end of the Cretaceous – dinosaur genera became less diverse.

Ornithischian Dinosaur Diversity (Horned and Duck-Billed Dinosaurs)

Rapid diversification of ornithischian dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous.

Diagram credit: Lindsay Zanno/Ohio University

The diagram above illustrates the diversification of the horned and duck-billed dinosaurs during the Late Cretaceous. Scientists postulate that this rapid speciation occurred as a result of high sea levels and mountain formation. The geologic time scale is to the left of the diagram, with horizontal green divisions representing the Campanian (lower) and Maastrichtian (upper) time periods. Silhouettes of North America demonstrating areas covered by ocean water during each of the time periods are to the right along with triangles designating the relative size of both the Western Interior Seaway and the Laramida mountain range.

Finally, the fork within the duck-billed (black) and horned (grey) dinosaur family trees show the coinciding time (yellow bar) of a major split within each group of dinosaurs.

To read a related article on dinosaur diversification in North America: Ethnicity in North American Dinosaurs.

Geologists have calculated that during the Early Cretaceous there was a substantial amount of geological activity in the western United States. A number of processes involving subduction, the movement of ocean crust down into the Earth’s mantle occurred along what was to become the western coast of North America. These immense geological forces caused the western part of the Americas to be lifted up and this led to the formation of an enormous mountain range that extended from Alberta (Canada) in a south-western direction to as far south as the southern United States.

The region to the east of this newly formed mountain range (the Sevier Mountains), flexed downwards and this coincided with a rise in global sea levels, flooding much of the continent and splitting what land remained above sea level into a series of large islands. This sea (Western Interior Seaway), teemed with life and the marine deposits left behind in places as far apart as Alberta and Kansas have provided palaeontologists with an amazing variety of marine reptile fossils to study – Dolichorhynchops, elasmosaurs and huge mosasaurs such as Tylosaurus.

The Ohio based research team have focused on the dinosaur fossils that have been found in association with the islands. At its most extensive, the Western Interior Seaway split the North American land mass into three large islands. These islands each had a substantial and diverse population of ornithischian dinosaurs.

For replicas and models of Late Cretaceous ornithischians and other dinosaurs: Ornithischian and Other Dinosaur Figures.

Geographic and Ecological Barriers

The most western of the islands, known as Laramidia consisted of land that was to form Alberta in the north with the American states of Dakota and Montana in the middle with the land that was to become Utah forming the southern part of the island. Formations laid down in the north of this island, the famous Dinosaur Provincial Park for example, have provided palaeontologists with a huge range of horned and duck-billed, ornithischian dinosaurs. Fossils found in Utah, animals such as the horned dinosaurs Kosmoceratops and Utahceratops from rocks of roughly the same age, indicate that different types of plant-eating dinosaur evolved in the south.

The Ohio University scientists have postulated that mountain building and the rising sea levels caused the available habitat for dinosaurs to shrink on Laramidia. Populations became isolated and this was further compounded by later plate tectonic movements that led to the nascent development of what was to become the North American Rockies.

Prieto-Márquez, a Munich based palaeontologist who collaborated on the scientific paper states:

“At that time [Campanian faunal stage], it appears that geographic, as well as probably also ecological, barriers created by the rise of mountain ranges and the seaway caused isolation of the northern and southern populations of the crested duck-billed and horned plant-eating dinosaurs. We hypothesise that such isolation facilitated rapid speciation and increased diversity in these animals.”

The team postulate that a new species of large, ornithischian dinosaur evolved every few hundred thousand years during the time that the mountain ranges and the Western Interior Seaway isolated populations. These geological processes led to a rapid burst of dinosaur evolution in these cut-off populations, in the same way that the isolated populations of animals in the Galapagos archipelago rapidly diversified into new species.

The Changing Face of North America During the Late Cretaceous

North America 75 million years ago and 66 million years ago.

Picture credit: Dr Ron Blakey of Colorado Plateau Geosystems, Inc

The maps above show North America 75 million years ago, with the Western Interior Seaway cutting the land mass into a series of islands (A). This is compared to the continental land mass approximately 66 million years ago with the seaway having retreated.

However, this extensive speciation of mega-herbivores was brought to an end with the continued rise of the embryonic Rocky Mountains which eventually forced the Western Interior Seaway to contract. This opened up a large, open territory for the ornithischian dinosaurs to exploit. This reduced the turnover in species with new species evolving at a much slower rate. New species taking more than a million years to evolve.

The research team warn that their work on the major, herbivorous dinosaur faunas of North America cannot be used as a template to explain the rise and then the decline in dinosaur diversity on a global scale. However, the rapidly changing geology caused by plate movements would have had an influence over the migration of dinosaurs from the Americas into Asia and into South America.

The rise of the Rocky Mountains for example, would have created a barrier that the dinosaurs could not cross. Only dinosaur species resident north of this barrier could have migrated into Asia and only those species living in the southern part of Laramidia would have had a migration route open to them to South America.

It is also worth noting that a long, thin island such as Laramidia would have had different climates. The most northerly part of the island was at a much higher latitude than the southern parts. This may have encouraged different vegetation to flourish and this too, might help to explain the diversity of herbivorous dinosaurs in the region, with each species adapting to exploit a particular niche in the eco-system.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the help of Ohio University in creating this article.

2 08, 2012

New Papo Brachiosaurus Model is Delayed

By Mike|2024-04-23T14:48:29+01:00August 2nd, 2012|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Press Releases|0 Comments

Brachiosaurus Replica from Papo Due in September

Everything Dinosaur team members have been informed that the new Papo Brachiosaurus replica has been further delayed. Sources close to Papo state the model should be available in September. The Brachiosaurus replica, the largest dinosaur model that Papo have attempted to make, was due to be launched in July of this year, but this was put back to this month. Now Papo staff are saying that the production has been delayed and that stock should be ready for shipping in September.

The Papo Brachiosaurus Model

Delayed until September.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur/Papo

A spokesperson for Everything Dinosaur commented:

“The Papo range of prehistoric animals has been extended this year and the Brachiosaurus model was always going to be the last model introduced. It measures nearly 32 centimetres high and represents an approximate 1:55 scale model of a Brachiosaurus. Papo will be keen to maintain the high standards they have achieved with their model ranges and will be doing all they can to make the model as good as possible. We are looking forward to finally getting our hands on stocks of this dinosaur model, we have been promised that Everything Dinosaur will be one of the first to receive their allocation”.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of Papo models: Papo “Les Dinosaures” Prehistoric Animal Figures.

The award winning Papo range marketed in France as the “Les Dinosaures” range, currently consists of sixteen dinosaur models (counting the green and brown versions of the standing T. rex). The range has one pterosaur (Pteranodon), two marine reptiles as well as a set of Woolly Mammoth models, a Smilodon replica and two figures of cavemen. The company has built up a strong reputation for the quality of their replicas and figures.

2 08, 2012

Japanese Scientists Identify Rare Dinosaur Skin Impression

By Mike|2024-04-24T16:29:37+01:00August 2nd, 2012|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans|0 Comments

Dinosaur Skin with Fine Scales or Is it a Dinosaur Fossil at All?

Japanese scientists have published a description of a dinosaur skin impression found in Kumamato Prefecture (Japan).

The country of Japan is not well-known for its dinosaur fossils. Situated on the notorious “ring of fire” in the Pacific, the islands that make up Japan are subjected to considerable seismic forces. However, a number of important dinosaur discoveries have been made by geologists and palaeontologists as they study sedimentary rocks laid down in the Mesozoic Era. Isolated teeth representing a yet unknown genus of large theropod (meat-eating) dinosaur have been found in Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture on the northern coast of Japan’s main island.

The teeth have been dated to the Early Cretaceous and they suggest that if there were apex predators living in the area that was to form the islands of Japan then there would have been a substantial and thriving dinosaur-based eco-system with many more types of plant-eating dinosaur for the large carnivores to prey upon. Fossils of giant plant-eating dinosaurs known as sauropods have also been found, most notably a fragmentary fossil of a leg bone from a huge, long-necked dinosaur. Representatives from the Palaeontological Society of Japan reported on the finding of a huge sauropod femur (the thigh bone of a sauropod). This single fossil represents the largest type of dinosaur found in the country to date.

To read about the discovery of the giant dinosaur femur: Sauropod Femur Discovered in Japan.

Dinosaur Skin Impression

Japanese scientists have just published the description of a remarkably well-preserved fossil which shows the imprint of a dinosaur’s skin. The fossil measures a little under twenty centimetres in length and eleven centimetres wide at its widest part. Although the discovery of a dinosaur skin impression has yet to be confirmed, if the find is validated then this is only the second time that an impression of a dinosaur’s skin has been found in the country.

The fossil was found in 2001 by an amateur fossil hunter, exploring a series of ninety-eight-million-year-old, fine sandstone deposits in Amakusa, Kumamato Prefecture. It actually consists of two pieces, as the fossil had been broken up as a result of weathering at the site. The first section the forms the top, right portion of the fossil was found and then a few months later the second part of the fossil, representing the larger, lower portion of the fossil material was found.

For much of the Mesozoic Era the series of islands that make up the country we now know as Japan lay underwater, however, what land that remained above sea level was part of the eastern coast of Laurasia, a huge, super-continental land mass that covered much of the Northern Hemisphere since its formation in the Ordovician geological period. It was only during the Tertiary period that the string of volcanoes that make up the Japanese islands was pushed away from the Asian mainland; eastward by tectonic plate movements. Since their formation, the Japanese islands have been moved back and forth from the Asian mainland as the landmass is pushed and pulled by the plate movements.

The Fossil of a Reptile’s Skin (possible Dinosauria)

Possibly an impression of dinosaur skin?

Picture credit: Goshonoura Cretaceous Museum

The skin impression shows fine detail. The impression of individual, polygonal shaped scales can be clearly seen. The scales are approximately two millimetres in diameter. Palaeontologists have speculated that since the fine strata in which the fossil was found represents a tidal flat deposit, a dinosaur may have rested on the tidal flats and left a skin impression which was eventually fossilised.

What Sort of Dinosaur?

It is not known what sort of dinosaur may have left this skin impression. Experts at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum have examined the fossil skin imprint and they have suggested that this impression may have been made by a hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) or the skin impression may not represent dinosaur fossil material at all. A number of duck-billed dinosaur fossils have been found in Japan and palaeontologist know from fossils found elsewhere in Asia from rocks of the same age that hadrosaurs were abundant.

It is possible the fossil could represent evidence of a duck-billed dinosaur resting on a sandbank, however, it is perhaps more likely that this is the skin impression left behind by another reptile, not a dinosaur at all.

Crocodiles are often seen today basking on sand banks. During the Cretaceous there were many crocodile-like creatures that probably had similar habits. Palaeontologists have proposed that it is more likely that the skin impression was made by a member of the Choristodera such as a champsosaur.

Typical Champsosaur-like Models

An Impression of Champsosaurs – perhaps the skin impression belongs to one of these reptiles.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Whether the fossil represents dinosaur material or not, it is the best preserved skin impression yet found in Japanese Cretaceous strata. The Chief Researcher at the Fukui Dinosaur Museum has heralded the find as significant stating that this is the first fossil in Japan that shows reptilian scales clearly.

It is likely that once the examination has been completed the specimen will be put on display in a museum close to where the two fossil pieces were actually discovered.

To view models of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals: Safari Limited Models – Prehistoric World.

1 08, 2012

Happy 7th Birthday Everything Dinosaur

By Mike|2023-02-03T13:17:38+00:00August 1st, 2012|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Press Releases|0 Comments

Seventh Anniversary of the Founding of Everything Dinosaur

Today, we have been reliably informed, is the seventh anniversary of the founding of our company – Everything Dinosaur. On August 1st 2005 the company officially came into being. The story goes that we were quite happy doing what parents, teachers and dinosaur enthusiasts do when our accountants informed us that for auditing reasons we really ought to have a sort of start date – so August 1st become our official birthday. Just an excuse to bring some strawberries into the office to eat perhaps (not allowed biscuits any more), but nonetheless this is the date that has stuck and I suppose today we are celebrating our seventh birthday.

Everything Dinosaur

YouTube is also seven years old, so our efforts in the business world have to be taken into perspective. We may not be an established household name but to our thousands and thousands of customers around the world that we have met, talked to, corresponded with, swapped stories, helped, solved problems for, advised and occasionally sold dinosaur merchandise to we hope in some small way that we have made a difference.

We seem to have made a lot of people happy if our customer correspondence is anything to go by, we just try our best, especially with the Everything Dinosaur Blog.

Happy Birthday Everything Dinosaur

Happy 7th birthday to Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Amongst the celebratory confetti we have placed a number of Everything Dinosaur logos. How many can you count?

Traditional Gifts for an Anniversary

Looking at the traditional gifts for a seventh anniversary, it looks like wool or copper are the order of the day. Or for those with more modern tastes a desk set is supposed to fit the bill when a seventh anniversary is celebrated. One thing is for sure, we will be busy at our desks working away providing mums with summer holiday suggestions for dinosaur activities, answering emailed questions about dinosaurs, commenting on drawings and images about prehistoric animals that we have been sent, happy to replace lost dinosaur models, advising model collectors and so forth. We have some exciting plans in place for the next twelve months – seems like it is going to be a busy year ahead.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

31 07, 2012

Depicting a Herd of Woolly Mammoths using Prehistoric Animal Models (Exclusive Images)

By Mike|2024-04-24T15:23:34+01:00July 31st, 2012|Dinosaur Fans|0 Comments

Using Mammoth Models to Make a Realistic Herd

Dinosaur model fans and model collectors are able to create a number of exciting scenes using various different scale models of dinosaurs. The scale sizes of the models can vary considerably and from our perspective, the wider range of scale models available gives a model maker more freedom in terms of the scenes they can create. Interestingly, when it comes to Ice Age mammals such as Woolly Mammoths, there are a number of good quality models around, but the majority of these tend to be the same scale – 1:20. Creating a realistic-looking scene using Woolly Mammoth models takes considerable care and judgement.

Woolly Mammoths are members of the elephant family (Elephantidae), they lived in herds just like their extant cousins the African and Indian elephants of today. Palaeontologists believe that the herd structure of Woolly Mammoths such as Mammuthus primigenius, was the same as that seen in living species of elephants. A matriarch would control the herd which would be comprised of her daughters, sisters and their young. Bulls very probably lived a solitary existence when fully mature. Young males would be driven from the herd by the matriarch when they reached maturity and breeding age. These young males would probably live in small groups made up of other males of similar age (bachelor herds). Bulls would compete for the right to mate with the females and the herds would probably have moved great distances each season in search of fresh grazing.

Recreating a prehistoric scene featuring a herd of Woolly Mammoths is quite tricky. The herd would be comprised of a number of individuals and there would be considerable size and age difference between herd members. The animals would range in size from calves that has been born that year to the older females who might well be sisters of the dominant matriarch. The matriarch herself could be more than fifty years of age.

A Prehistoric Scene – A Herd of Mammoths

Creating a realistic Ice Age scene.

Picture credit: Alan Whitehouse

The above scene has been created by the highly talented Alan Whitehouse – a stunning diorama.

It is not just the size of the models that the scene designer has to get right, but the coats of these animals would all differ. Scientists studying the frozen hairs preserved on the remains of Siberian mammoths which are found thawing out of the permafrost in the most northerly parts of Russia, know that there was considerable variation in mammoth coat colour.

The coat consisted of two distinct layers. A “shaggy” topcoat with an undercoat of denser hair for insulation. The coat could be coloured various shades of brown or reddish, perhaps bordering on ginger, to almost jet black. Albino mammoths were possible but these animals would have been unlikely to survive in the wild.

There are a number of accurate 1:20 scale or thereabouts replicas available. Creating a herd of Woolly Mammoths has been made easier with the introduction of the juvenile and baby Woolly Mammoths from the French manufacturer Papo earlier this year. When choosing a Woolly Mammoth replica it is helpful to remember that unlike modern elephants they had relatively short tails and small ears – both adaptations for a cold climate. Look out for these features on any mammoth model you might be interested in purchasing.

The tusks of these animals grew for as long as the animal lived. Both males and females had substantial tusks, just like us humans with our left or right hand bias, palaeontologists believe that Woolly Mammoths had a preference for using either their right or left tusk. Differences in the wear pattern seen on pairs of mammoth tusks recovered from individual specimens provides evidence to the scientists as to whether this particular animal was right-tusked or left-tusked. Tusk size would therefore have varied throughout the herd, it would have been dependent on the age of the individual animal. A number of Woolly Mammoth species and sub-species have been described, at least eight from the Americas alone. The tusks of Mammoths tended to curve outwards but there was considerable variation. The shape and size of the upper incisors (tusks) is just another issue for the model maker to concern themselves with.

The models can be presented against a painted backdrop or picture. Mammoths were creatures of the open plains, although a number of species are associated with more closed forested environments so the designer has considerable choice as to what background to use. A scene depicting early spring or late autumn, times in the year when Mammoth herds might have come together to form super-herds as these elephants made their annual migration to the best feeding grounds, might be appropriate. Posing the animals on artificial grass or using grass in the foreground is fine. The models stand up well on this medium and animals such as M. primigenius fed on grasses and small sedges (finely serrated teeth with dense plates, indicate a grazing diet as does stomach content analysis of frozen mammoths).

Although Woolly Mammoths have been depicted in cave art, no living person has seen a mammoth herd. In fact, no one has seen the Woolly Mammoth for thousands of years, so model makers and designers can use their imaginations based around some scientific principles to guide them as to what sort of scene they would like to create.

To view the range of prehistoric mammal models, including Woolly Mammoths available from Everything Dinosaur: Prehistoric Mammal Models and Figures.

30 07, 2012

Australian Palaeontologists Excited About Potential Queensland Discoveries

By Mike|2023-02-03T13:08:55+00:00July 30th, 2012|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans|0 Comments

Palaeontologists Announce New Fossil Finds

The small town of Winton in western Queensland (Australia) is buzzing with excitement as a team of Australian palaeontologists have announced the discovery of about fifteen dinosaur bones that may represent a new species. Over the last twenty years or so, Winton has become the centre of Australia’s very own “dinosaur gold rush” with a number of exciting dinosaur discoveries being made as fossils weather out of the Cretaceous-aged strata.

The Winton Formation (named after the town) has provided palaeontologists with a whole host of exciting dinosaur discoveries including Australia’s very own super-predator the vicious and agile Australovenator (Australovenator wintonensis) which is believed to be a type of allosaur.

An Illustration of the “Aussie” Super-Predator (A. wintonensis)

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Already a “Hot Spot” for Cretaceous dinosaur discoveries, the latest fossil finds from the Winton area are fifteen dinosaur bones, including a beautifully preserved but very fragile femur (thigh bone) that has already been partially excavated by the scientists.

As Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, it is winter time. The temperatures in and around the Winton area are much lower than they would be in high summer, so this is the time of year when a lot of field work takes place. A number of research groups are currently working in the area and a spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur said in a statement:

“The fossil discoveries that have been made in western Queensland are providing palaeontologists with a better understanding of the diversity of the Dinosauria on southern continents around 100 million years ago. It is very likely that new dinosaur species will be unearthed as the field teams continue their work. When you consider the size of the potential fossil field, then you could say that so far the palaeontologists have only just scratched the surface and there is probably a lot more exciting fossils awaiting discovery.”

To read an article about the discovery of dinosaur fossils in the Winton area: A Trio of Dinosaurs from Down Under.

Everything Dinosaur stocks an extensive range of prehistoric animal figures based on fossil discoveries in Australia.

To view this range: CollectA Deluxe Theropod and Dinosaur Models (Scale Models).