Prehistoric Times Issue 132 (Winter 2020) Reviewed

The winter 2020 issue of “Prehistoric Times” magazine has arrived at the Everything Dinosaur offices.  Lots for team members to do, but some handy business trips afforded us the opportunity to peruse the latest edition and to get our fill of all things prehistoric.  The striking front cover is from the talented and world-renowned British palaeoartist John Sibbick and inside it is revealed that this is John’s tenth cover art contribution.

The artwork was inspired by the fossil discoveries from the famous “Dinosaur Cove and East Gippsland” locations in Victoria, Australia.  The illustration depicts a group of big-eyed Leaellynasaura  being surprised by an allosaurid in the long, cold polar night.

The Front Cover Artwork for “Prehistoric Times” Issue 132 (Winter 2020)

Picture credit: Mike Fredericks

A “Double O” Edition of Prehistoric Times

Team members have described this latest instalment of this quarterly magazine as the “double O” edition.  Phil Hore provides profiles on both the pterosaur Ornithocheirus, confusing Cambridge Greensand fossil material included and the Asian hadrosaur Olorotitan.  Look out for an article entitled “Old School Charm” by Sean Kotz which examines the Charles R. Knight-inspired Tyrannosaurus rex that depicts this famous theropod as it was seen by the scientific community over a hundred years ago.

We are brought right up to date with the Paleonews section and the “What’s New in Review” double-page spread – Everything Dinosaur gets a mention:

“Thanks to Everything Dinosaur of England with information on upcoming prehistoric animals Everything Dinosaur.  It is a great store and internet site”.

Drawing Diplodocus

Concluding his article on Diplodocus, Tracy Lee Ford, looks at how the head and neck of this famous sauropod is constructed.  Cue lots of helpful information on diplodocid necks and posture.  Palaeontologist Ken Carpenter has penned a couple of contributions, look out for his article discussing the proposed revision of Amphicoelias as a huge rebbachisaurid sauropod, it seems that the Sauropoda are very well represented in issue 132.

Different Potential Feeding Strategies for Diplodocus are Highlighted in Tracy Lee Ford’s “How to Draw Dinosaurs Section”

Early Avians – Burian

As always there are wonderful examples of reader’s artwork throughout the magazine.  The Olorotitan versus Alioramus by J. A. Chirinos, M. Elliot Maisson’s cephalopod crunching Ornithocheirus and the three-dimensional model of Anchiornis by young Phoebe Wood, which is on display in the South Australia Museum, all deserve a special mention.  The evocative of artwork of Zdeněk Burian focuses on early avians, our thanks to John Lavas for producing such an excellent article with wonderful examples of Burian’s work.

Team members felt a very real sense of nostalgia viewing Burian’s depiction of Archaeopteryx lithographica.  These types of illustrations adorn many of the dinosaur and prehistoric animal books that our staff have on their bookshelves.  We suspect dinosaur fans have a portion of any shelving dedicated to their prehistoric animal collection.  Randy Knoll provides an instructive guide to numerous dinosaur models. He places them in relation to the geological formations from whence the fossil material that inspired the models came.

Packed full of informative and beautifully illustrated articles and we did not even mention the Kathryn Abbott interview or the chat with Matt Mossbrucker.

“Prehistoric Times” magazine is a fantastic publication aimed at the discerning prehistoric animal model collector and dinosaur fan.  Further information about obtaining a subscription: “Prehistoric Times Magazine.”