T. rex with Prey Gets a Base
One of the difficulties faced when making accurate models of dinosaurs that walked on just their hind legs (bipedal stance), is to get the replica to balance so that it stands up without support. As the Dinosauria had a mostly digitigrade (walking on their digits) stance, compared to the plantigrade stance of the likes of bears, mice and humans this is a difficult task, even for the most accomplished model maker. It is surprising to think, that just like a garden bird, dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex walked on their toes, no other part of the foot playing a role in weight-bearing in conjunction with the ground as this fearsome theropod moved around.
CollectA T. rex with Prey
In the past, when bipedal dinosaurs were often depicted with their tails dragging on the ground behind them, the position and size of the feet of any figure did not matter so much. The tail could act as an additional support for the model, what is termed a “tripodal” stance. Ironically, although most palaeontologists agree that the majority of the Dinosauria held their tails clear of the ground, there is some evidence to suggest that some dinosaur could at least use their tails to form a tripodal stance. The animals concerned are quadrupeds, dinosaurs such as the stegosaurs. Some of these armoured dinosaurs had more cervical vertebrae (neck bones) than many long-necked sauropods. It has been suggested that dinosaurs such as Miragaia and Dacentrurus (both European stegosaurs) could have reared up onto their back legs and rested on their tails whilst stretching up into trees to feed on the understorey of leaves.
For dinosaur model enthusiasts the extra security of a base for their model is often welcomed. To improve the stability of the CollectA T. rex with prey model, the designers at CollectA have added an unobtrusive base to this replica.
Tyrannosaurus rex Gets Grounded
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Grabbed an Ornithomimid
The base permits the animal to be depicted in a much more active pose. A tyrannosaur that had just grabbed an ornithomimid (Struthiomimus) would probably want to get away from the scene of the attack in order to prevent its meal being stolen by a larger Tyrannosaurus that could “sniff out” the opportunity for a free meal. Such behaviour is seem amongst members of the Carnivora today. The addition of a base broadens the range of poses that a model can be put in, helping to depict an anatomically accurate replica of a long extinct carnivore.
To view the range of CollectA Prehistoric Life models available from Everything Dinosaur: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs/Prehistoric Life Models.
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