All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.
11 02, 2020

Wild Safari Prehistoric World Camarasaurus Wins Award

By |2024-01-14T11:03:45+00:00February 11th, 2020|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

Wild Safari Prehistoric World Camarasaurus Dinosaur Model Wins Award

Prehistoric Times magazine readers have voted the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Camarasaurus dinosaur model the best dinosaur figure of 2019.  Subscribers to the quarterly magazine have acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the design team at Safari Ltd by awarding the 2019 Camarasaurus figure the accolade of best dinosaur model of the year.

The Wild Safari Prehistoric World Camarasaurus Dinosaur Model Wins Award

Wild Safari Prehistoric World Camarasaurus dinosaur model.
The award-winning Wild Safari Prehistoric World Camarasaurus dinosaur model.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website for prehistoric animal models: Everything Dinosaur.

Camarasaurus Model

The sauropod replica measures approximately 35 cm long and the head stands some 16 cm in the air.  The Camarasaurus model was one of eleven prehistoric animal figures introduced in 2019, although Everything Dinosaur was able to get some stock earlier, prior to the end of 2018.

The Reptilian Models Introduced by Safari Ltd for 2019

Wild Safari Prehistoric World - reptiles 2019.
Some of the new for 2019 prehistoric animal figures from the Wild Safari Prehistoric World range.  The Camarasaurus figure was the largest dinosaur model introduced by Safari Ltd last year.  Safari Ltd also introduced a model of a Woolly Rhinoceros (not shown). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The 2019 figure replaced the earlier production model, a Camarasaurus figure, a 1:40 scale model that was introduced into the Carnegie Collection range in 2002 and retired back in 2015.

The Now Retired Carnegie Collection Camarasaurus Model

Camarasaurus dinosaur model.
Camarasaurus – the Carnegie Collection 1:40 scale dinosaur model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Special Award

Commenting on the award, a spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur said:

“Safari Ltd have won this special award in previous years.  It is great to see the 2019 Camarasaurus figure continuing this trend.  The Wild Safari Prehistoric World range of models are ideal for creative, imaginative play as well as being extremely popular with collectors.  It is a fantastic collection, representing a wide variety of ancient creatures and long extinct animals.”

The team members at Everything Dinosaur congratulate Safari Ltd for having their Camarasaurus declared the best dinosaur figure of 2019 by readers of Prehistoric Times magazine.

A Dinosaur Model Wins a Prestigious Award

Dinosaur model wins award.
The award-winning Wild Safari Prehistoric World Camarasaurus dinosaur model.

To view the award-winning Camarasaurus and the rest of the models and figures in the Wild Safari Prehistoric World range: Safari Ltd – Wild Safari Prehistoric World.

10 02, 2020

The First Non-pterodactyloid Pterosaur Tracks

By |2024-01-14T11:08:57+00:00February 10th, 2020|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Rhamphorhynchids – “Good Climbers and Rare Walkers”

One of the great mysteries regarding the Pterosauria may have finally be solved.  Palaeontologists are one “step” closer to better understanding how these flying reptiles moved about on the ground.  Researchers studying six pterosaur trackways preserved in the sandstone that once comprised part of a Late Jurassic beach have been able to examine the locomotive abilities of non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs for the first time.

Fossilised Pterosaur Tracks

This is a big deal, tracks of pterosaurs have been known about for some time, but all the trace fossils suggesting tracks up until now were believed to have been made by pterodactyloid pterosaurs, (Pterodactyloidea), essentially flying reptiles with short tails, relatively long metacarpal bones and a fifth toe that is greatly reduced or absent.  Virtually nothing was known about the terrestrial abilities of other types of pterosaur that dominated the skies of the Jurassic, the dimorphodonts, Anurognathidae and the rhamphorhynchids for example.

However, scientists from the remarkable Musée de la Plage aux Ptérosaures, writing in the academic journal “Geobios”, describe six trackways related to three non-pterodactyloid new ichnotaxa and determine that these animals moved quadrupedally and that they were quite at home on the ground.

A Life Reconstruction of a Rhamphorhynchid Pterosaur Walking Across a Beach

Rhamphorhynchus walking on a beach.
The long-tailed Rhamphorhynchus leaves a series of five-toed tracks on the Jurassic beach.

Picture credit: Mark Witton

“Good Climbers and Bad Walkers”

Over the last two hundred years or so, a variety of theories have been put forward by palaeontologists regarding the way in which these flying reptiles moved about on the ground.  For most of that time, these ideas were based on anatomical analysis of fossil bones.  Trackways preserving evidence of a flying reptile moving about on the ground were exceptionally rare.  Ironically, when such evidence did come to light, such as the trackway found in Wyoming in 1952 (Sundance Formation), these trace fossils received little scientific scrutiny.

The lack of tracks from non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs preserved in the fossil record, led many palaeontologists to believe that these animals rarely left the trees or the water and moved around on land.  When they did, it was thought that they would have been clumsy and slow-moving, very vulnerable to predation.

A Non-pterodactyloid Trackway from the Upper Jurassic (Plage aux Ptérosaures)

Non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs were very much at home on the ground.
Pterosaur trackway (non-pterodactyloid) from south-western France.

Picture credit: Musée de la Plage aux Ptérosaures/Geobios

“The Pterosaur Beach of Crayssac”

The fossil finds come from the remarkable “la Plage aux Ptérosaures” (the pterosaur beach), located close to the village of Crayssac in the Occitanie region of south-western France.  The site provides a trace fossil record of activity on a Late Jurassic beach around 150 million years ago (lower Tithonian faunal stage).  Both dinosaur and pterosaur trackways are preserved.

The authors of the scientific paper, conclude that the tracks may have been made by rhamphorhynchids and they propose that non-pterodactyloids, at least during the Late Jurassic, were quadrupedal with digitigrade hands and plantigrade to digitigrade feet.  Analysis of the tracks indicates that these animals were good walkers, even if their hind legs were hampered by the uropatagium (the membrane of skin that spanned the back legs).  The idea that these types of flying reptiles were “good climbers but bad walkers”, seems to have been refuted.

Studying the Pterosaur Tracks

The authors state that based on this new study and contrary to current hypotheses, non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs seem to have been good walkers even though their trackways are very rare or unidentified to date.  Each of the trackways is around a metre in length, the individual prints measuring approximately three centimetres long.  Jean-Michel Mazin and his co-author Joane Pouech (from the museum at la Plage aux Ptérosaures), were aware of the significance of these trace fossils as pterodactyloids tracks tend to produce four toe marks in the trace fossil, whereas, non-pterodactyloids had five toes, so five toe marks would be expected in the majority of the hind prints.

Pterosaur expert Mark Witton provides a well-written and comprehensive overview of pterosaur anatomy and discusses the theories associated with their terrestrial locomotion in his excellent book simply entitled “Pterosaurs”.

A review of this publication can be found here: Pterosaurs by Mark Witton – a book review.

The Front Cover of the Comprehensive Book on Pterosaurs by Mark Witton

Pterosaurs by Mark Witton.
A very well researched and documented publication from an authority on the Pterosauria.

The scientific paper: “The first non-pterodactyloid pterosaurian trackways and the terrestrial ability of non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs” by Jean-Michel Mazin and Joane Pouech published in Geobios.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

9 02, 2020

Different Types of Carnivorous Dinosaur in the Late Jurassic of Europe

By |2024-01-14T11:12:46+00:00February 9th, 2020|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Lots of Different Types of Theropod Dinosaur Identified from a German Quarry

During the Late Jurassic, much of the landmass we now know as Europe was covered by shallow, tropical seas.  The islands that dotted this seascape were dominated by dinosaurs and a great deal of research has been undertaken to identify and map the ancient terrestrial fauna.  A new study published in the journal PeerJ, reveals that there were a wide variety of different types of meat-eating dinosaur present on these islands.  Fossils associated with allosauroids, ceratosaurs and megalosauroids have been identified in a single bonebed dominated by the dwarf sauropod Europasaurus.

Views of a Single Claw (Pedal Ungual) and Toe Bones (Pedal Phalanges) Tentatively Ascribed to the Allosauroidea

Fragmentary fossils from the Langenberg Quarry associated with theropod dinosaurs.
A fossilised foot claw and fossil toe bones tentatively ascribed to the Allosauroidea.

Picture credit: PeerJ

Dwarfism in the Dinosauria

Scientists from the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) in association with the Martin-Luther-Universität (Germany), examined the fragmentary theropod dinosaur remains associated with the Europasaurus bonebed found at the Langenberg Quarry site in Germany’s Harz Mountains, near the town of Goslar (Lower Saxony).  These marine deposits have yielded a variety of vertebrate fossils, representing the corpses of terrestrial fauna washed into the marine depositional environment from a nearby island.

All the meat-eating dinosaur fossils described represent relatively small individuals.  It is not known whether these fossils represent juveniles or whether they might be evidence of insular dwarfism.  Animals living on islands with limited food resources can evolve into dwarf forms, becoming much smaller in size than their mainland relatives.

The incompleteness of the theropod fossil remains and their rarity when compared to the Europasaurus material had discouraged scientific analysis.  This is the first academic paper to describe these types of fossils from the Langenberg Quarry.  The fragmentary material can only be classified on higher taxonomic levels, the new occurrences reported add to our understanding of the regional tetrapod fauna and to theropod diversity in Europe in general.

Partial Fibulae (Lower Leg Bones) Ascribed to the Theropoda

Partial lower leg bones ascribed to the Theropoda.
Partial left fibula (top) and partial right fibula (below) both assigned to the Theropoda and described as potentially megalosauroid.

Picture credit: PeerJ

Several Different Types of Theropod Dinosaur Present

This research confirms the presence of several different types of theropod dinosaur in the Late Jurassic northern European archipelago and will help palaeontologists to better understand the diversity and evolution of the Theropoda during the Late Jurassic of Europe.  The incomplete material can be assigned to ceratosaurian, megalosauroid, and allosauroid theropods.

These identifications agree with previous reports of the presence of these theropod groups in the Late Jurassic of Northern Germany based on fossil teeth.  Although the Langenberg theropod fauna is not as rich as some other European localities, such as the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal, these findings confirm a varied dinosaur fauna in central Europe during the Late Jurassic.

The scientific paper: “Late Jurassic theropod dinosaur bones from the Langenberg Quarry (Lower Saxony, Germany) provide evidence for several theropod lineages in the central European archipelago” by Serjoscha W. Evans and Oliver Wings published in the journal PeerJ.

Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

8 02, 2020

How to Assemble the Rebor X-REX (Broodlord)

By |2024-01-14T13:00:50+00:00February 8th, 2020|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Everything Dinosaur videos, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

How to Assemble the Rebor X-REX (Broodlord)

The 1:35 scale Rebor Broodlord figure, a cross between an alien and a tyrannosaurid, has wowed collectors and model fans.  It is the first of four figures to be introduced in this series.  A second Broodlord is planned, the second model will have an “organic” colour scheme.  The other two figures will be known as “Swarm” and just like Broodlord, two colour variants will be offered “plague” and “radioactive”.

In order to protect the carefully sculpted back spikes, the typically tyrannosaurid arms and that beautiful, intricate extended jaw, during transit, Rebor has not attached them to the replica, the model has to be assembled, but this does not take too long.  Everything Dinosaur has created a short video that explains how to assemble the model and provides a few tips and tricks along the way.

How to Assemble the 1:35 Scale Rebor Broodlord X-REX

Video credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

An Impressive Extra-terrestrial Figure

The model measures an impressive 43 cm in length and Broodlord stands around 14 cm high at the shoulders.  In our video, (it lasts a fraction over 9 and 1/2 minutes), we examine the model in detail, discuss the other figures in this xenomorph/tyrannosaurid line and explain how to fix the four back spikes into their slots behind the animal’s shoulders without them wobbling.  We also demonstrate how to insert the two-fingered, small arms and then we show how the top of a ballpoint pen can be used to help secure the jaw extension into the lower jaw.

The Rebor Broodlord X-REX Model (Metallic Variant)

Measuring the Rebor Broodlord X-REX model.
The Rebor 1:35 scale Broodlord X-REX replica is one of the biggest figures that Rebor has made to date.  The figure measures approximately 43 cm long. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Insert the Tail Before Adding the Arms

The narrator provides plenty of help and advice to assist with figure assembly.  For example, it is recommended that the tail is inserted in place prior to adding the arms.  To secure the tail requires a firm push and by not adding the arms you can give yourself a greater purchase on the body to help you ensure that the flexible tail piece is inserted neatly and securely into place.

It is fitting that we have made one of our longest videos featuring one of Rebor’s longest (if not the longest replica) produced by this exciting company to date.  This video is available on Everything Dinosaur’s YouTube channel, a channel dedicated to dinosaur and prehistoric animal model collecting.

Visit Everything Dinosaur on YouTube here: Everything Dinosaur on YouTube.

To purchase the fantastic Rebor 1:35 Broodlord X-REX model and to see the rest of the Rebor range: Rebor Models, Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals.

7 02, 2020

New for 2020 Papo Giganotosaurus (Sneak Peek)

By |2024-01-14T13:51:02+00:00February 7th, 2020|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products, Everything Dinosaur videos, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

New for 2020 Papo Giganotosaurus (Sneak Peek)

Everything Dinosaur team members have been busy over the last few days posting up pictures of the new for 2020 Papo prehistoric animal models.  They have featured the new colour variant feathered Velociraptor, Chilesaurus, the pachycephalosaur Stygimoloch, Megaloceros and have even made a short video featuring the new colour variant Parasaurolophus dinosaur model.  The largest dinosaur figure to be introduced this year by Papo is the Giganotosaurus, naturally our staff have posted up plenty of pictures of this new replica too.

In addition, we have produced a short video on this new model, a dinosaur replica that has divided opinions.  In our video (it lasts three minutes), we show the prototype production model and then discuss some of the features of this new sculpt.

The New for 2020 Papo Giganotosaurus Dinosaur Model (Sneaky Peek)

Video credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

How to Pronounce Giganotosaurus

Named and described in 1995, this South American theropod (Giganotosaurus carolinii), is regarded as one of the largest, if not the largest, meat-eating dinosaurs known to science.  Whilst waiting for news of this Papo figure, our team members checked the correct pronunciation of the genus name.  Thanks to the scientists who specialise in the Dinosauria from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP), we can confidently state that the accepted scientific pronunciation is Gig-ah-note-oh-sore-us, think of terms like gigabyte or for that matter, gigametre.

The Papo Giganotosaurus (Gig-ah-note-oh-sore-us) Dinosaur Model

Papo Giganotosaurus Dinosaur Model
The new for 2020 Papo Giganotosaurus dinosaur model.  It has an articulated lower jaw. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Papo Giganotosaurus – A Controversial Dinosaur Model

When the first images of this new model were released, the pose of this dinosaur attracted a lot of comments.  In Everything Dinosaur’s brief video review, we look at the prototype figure and then discuss some of the other features of the sculpt, such as the detailed paint scheme and the quality of the skin tone and texture.  The detail on the head of the dinosaur is remarked upon.  The narrator comments on the skull shape and the attention to detail that can be seen in the depiction of the skull fenestrae.

A View of the Papo Giganotosaurus Dinosaur Model (Prototype)

The new for 2020 Papo Giganotosaurus dinosaur model.
A photograph of the Papo Giganotosaurus prototype model in a display case.  Can you see the head of the new for 2020 Papo Chilesaurus by the right foot of the theropod? Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The video can also be found on Everything Dinosaur’s YouTube channel.  Our YouTube channel contains lots of helpful videos about prehistoric animal models and figures.  To visit our YouTube channel and to subscribe: Everything Dinosaur on YouTube.

To see the range of Papo prehistoric animal models available from Everything Dinosaur: Papo Prehistoric Animal Models.

6 02, 2020

New Research Suggests Rhamphorhynchus Fed on Squid

By |2024-01-14T13:57:28+00:00February 6th, 2020|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Pterosaur Tooth Discovered in Jurassic Squid Fossil

The pterosaur Rhamphorhynchus, probably fed by grabbing soft-bodied creatures such as squid as it flew close to the surface of the sea.  That is the conclusion made by a group of researchers reporting on the remarkable fossil of a squid-like animal with a pterosaur tooth embedded in its body found in Germany.  Writing in the academic journal Scientific Reports, the authors of the paper, describe the beautifully preserved remains of the octobrachian (eight-armed) cephalopod Plesioteuthis subovata which has a pterosaur tooth embedded in its left flank.

Reconstruction of the Hunting Behaviour of Rhamphorhynchus muensteri

Rhamphorhynchus hunting behaviour.
Reconstruction of the hunting behaviour of Rhamphorhynchus muensteri.

Picture credit: C. Klug and Beat Scheffold

Discovered in 2012

The cephalopod fossil was found in 2012 and it heralds from the world-renowned Solnhofen Lagerstätte in south-eastern Germany.  The strata from which the remarkable specimen was gathered has been dated to the Upper Jurassic Altmühltal Formation (lower Tithonian faunal stage – ammonite Hybonoticeras hybonotum biozone).  The fossil is kept at the Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Switzerland (PIMUZ 37358).

Views of the Plesioteuthis subovata Specimen Showing the Pterosaur Tooth

Pterosaur tooth embedded in the fossilised remains of Plesioteuthis.
Views of the Plesioteuthis subovata specimen in natural and UV light showing the embedded pterosaur tooth.

Picture credit: R. Hoffmann et al (Scientific Reports)

The picture above shows (A), the 28 cm long fossil of the coleoid Plesioteuthis subovata with highlighted areas (B and D).  The pterosaur tooth measures 19 mm long and picture (C) shows the tooth viewed under ultraviolet (UV) light.  The tip of the tooth is partially covered with phosphatised mantle tissue, thus ruling out the association of the tooth during the fossilisation process.  Insert (D), shows the posterior portion of the mantle with faint imprints probably representing a terminal fin.  Under UV light analysis no evidence of fin musculature could be identified (E).

Direct Evidence of Hunting/Feeding Behaviour

Such direct evidence of hunting/feeding behaviour is rarely preserved in the fossil record.  The authors of the scientific paper, which include a researcher from the University of Leicester (UK), suggest that the adult Plesioteuthis subovata was swimming close to the surface when a pterosaur (suspected of being Rhamphorhynchus muensteri), made a grab for it.  It is not known whether the injury sustained to the squid proved fatal, or whether the animal lived for a period of time before finally dying and becoming preserved in the fine-grained sediments associated with the Solnhofen Archipelago.

The tooth most likely came from the front or middle regions of either the upper or lower jaw.  As rhamphorhynchid teeth associated with very young or juveniles tend to be much smaller and straighter, the researchers conclude that the tooth came from a mature adult pterosaur with a wingspan of at least one metre.

A Model of Rhamphorhynchus (Wild Safari Prehistoric World)

Rhamphorhynchus model
Wild Safari Prehistoric World Rhamphorhynchus figure.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The image (above) shows a Rhamphorhynchus model from Safari Ltd.

To view this model range: Wild Safari Prehistoric World.

Pterosaur Tooth Helps to Construct Ancient Food Webs

The coleoid/pterosaur fossil will help scientists to better understand the palaeo-ecosystem associated with the Solnhofen Lagerstätte.  Whilst it is true that many different types of predator may have fed upon Plesioteuthis subovata, the size, shape and the lack of longitudinal ridges discounts marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs, pliosaurs and crocodyliformes.  The tooth coming from a type of predatory fish has also been discounted.

The single tooth is most likely from a mature Rhamphorhynchus in a failed hunting attempt.  This seems to be the most plausible interpretation of the fossil evidence.  Furthermore, several Rhamphorhynchus fossils are known where the pterosaur is entangled within the jaws of the predatory fish Aspidorhynchus.  It has been assumed that these types of fish hunted close to the water surface and would have grabbed pterosaurs as they swooped to feed.  These fossils indirectly corroborate the suggestion that this pterosaur-cephalopod interaction occurred near the water surface.

Sometimes the Hunter Became the Hunted (Rhamphorhynchus Entangled with the Jaws of Fish)

Rhamphorhynchus and fish fossil.
A fatal encounter between two Jurassic hunters.  The Rhamphorhynchus is entangled within the jaws of a predatory fish (Aspidorhynchus acutirostris).

Picture credit: PLOS One

Skim-feeding had been proposed for marine pterosaurs such as Rhamphorhynchus but subsequent studies suggested that this was too energy expensive.  It is more likely that Rhamphorhynchus captured prey on the wing just above the water surface or while floating on the water surface.

The scientific paper: “Pterosaurs ate soft-bodied cephalopods (Coleoidea)” by R. Hoffmann, J. Bestwick, G. Berndt, R. Berndt, D. Fuchs and C. Klug published in Scientific Reports.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

5 02, 2020

Adding to the Ornithosuchidae – Dynamosuchus collisensis

By |2024-01-14T14:02:03+00:00February 5th, 2020|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Dynamosuchus collisensis – Late Triassic Bone Crushing Scavenger

A new species of ancient reptile, a distant relative of modern crocodilians has been named and described.  The two-metre-long, terrestrial predator has been named Dynamosuchus collisensis and it is the first member of the Ornithosuchidae family of archosaurs to have been discovered in Brazil.  The fossilised remains of the fearsome Dynamosuchus were found in March 2019 in the municipality of Agudo, Rio Grande do Sol in southern Brazil.  This is only the fourth ornithosuchid to have been described, the first was found in Scotland (Ornithosuchus) and described in 1894, whilst the other two genera (Riojasuchus and Venaticosuchus), were named and described in 1969 and 1971 respectively, from fossil discoveries made in Argentina.

Dynamosuchus collisensis is the first ornithosuchid to have been found for nearly five decades.

A Life Reconstruction of the Fearsome Dynamosuchus collisensis

Dynamosuchus life reconstruction.
Life reconstruction of the fearsome ornithosuchid Dynamosuchus.

Picture credit: Márcio L. Castro

Dynamosuchus collisensis

Writing in the academic journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, the researchers from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (Brazil), Museo de la Plata (Argentina) and Virginia Tech (USA), estimate that Dynamosuchus roamed Gondwana around 230 million years ago (Carnian faunal stage of the Triassic) and that it may have been a scavenger.

Members of the Ornithosuchidae are characterised by the shape of their snout.  The premaxilla tends to project forward and they have two pairs substantial, conical teeth located in the anterior portion of the lower jaw (dentary).  Like modern crocodilians these animals were covered in bony armour (osteoderms), but unlike today’s crocodiles, caiman and alligators, they were much more at home on the land than in water.

Like other ornithosuchids, Dynamosuchus probably spent most of its time on all fours, but it may have been capable of adopting a bipedal stance, perhaps when a turn of speed was required to escape from other bipedal predators such as the recently described herrerasaurid Gnathovorax (G.cabreirai).

To read about Gnathovorax: Superb Fossil Sheds Light on Triassic Terrors.

One of the Osteoderms (Bony Scales) Found at the Fossil Quarry

Dynamosuchus osteoderm.
An osteoderm (bony armour) recovered from the excavation site.

Picture credit: Rodrigo Temp Müller (Universidade Federal de Santa Maria)

A Specialised Scavenger

Studies of the skulls of these archosaurs indicate that they had strong jaws, but a relatively slow bite speed and the projecting premaxilla was not well suited to handling struggling prey.  As a result, it is has been speculated that ornithosuchids were specialised scavengers, using their powerful jaws and their curved, serrated teeth in the upper jaw to consume carcasses.  The genus name is from the Latin meaning “powerful crocodile”, whereas the trivial name is a Latinised form of “morro” a reference to the fossil quarry located at the base of the “Morro Agudo”.

A Close-up View of the Head of Dynamosuchus collisensis 

Dynamosuchus collisensis - likely to be a specialised scavenger.
Dynamosuchus collisensis (view of the head).

Picture credit: Márcio L. Castro

The Santa Maria Formation

The fossil material from the Santa Maria Formation adds to the number of fossil vertebrates known from the Late Triassic of Brazil.  The terrestrial ecosystem was complex with synapsids, rauischians, rhynchosaurs, aetosaurs and numerous dinosauromorphs as well as some of the earliest types of dinosaur known.  Dynamosuchus collisensis represents the first reptile with specialised anatomical adaptations for scavenging (necrophagy), to be discovered in a single fossiliferous site along with fossil remains of dinosaurs.  The new ornithosuchid further demonstrates a link between the animals associated with the Argentinean and Brazilian basins during the Carnian stage of the Triassic.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “The first ornithosuchid from Brazil and its macroevolutionary and phylogenetic implications for Late Triassic faunas in Gondwana” by Rodrigo T. Müller, M. Belén Von Baczko, Julia B. Desojo, and Sterling J. Nesbitt published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

4 02, 2020

New for 2020 Papo Parasaurolophus (Sneak Peek)

By |2024-01-14T14:06:23+00:00February 4th, 2020|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products, Everything Dinosaur videos, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

New for 2020 Papo Parasaurolophus (New Colour Variant)

Fans of the Papo “Les Dinosaures” model collection may have a little while yet to wait for the new for 2020 prehistoric animal figures to become available.  However, this does not stop Everything Dinosaur team members from posting up pictures and further information about these eagerly anticipated replicas.  For example, recently a member of staff was able to get their hands on the new for 2020 Papo Parasaurolophus in the new “striped” colour scheme.

Plenty of pictures were taken, as our Facebook and Instagram followers will testify to, but we also shot a short video so that our customers can see the model in the “flesh” as it were.

The Papo Parasaurolophus New Colour Variant 2020 (Sneak Peek)

Video credit: Everything Dinosaur

Papo Parasaurolophus

This popular dinosaur is one of five new dinosaurs to be added to the Papo portfolio this year.  Joining it will be Chilesaurus, Stygimoloch, Giganotosaurus and a new colour version of the feathered Velociraptor.  Details of these dinosaur models can be found here: Everything Dinosaur Announces New Papo Dinosaurs for 2020.

The New Papo Parasaurolophus Model is Beautifully Painted

New for 2020 Papo Parasaurolophus dinosaur model.
The new for 2020 Papo Parasaurolophus dinosaur model (with the limited edition Papo Spinosaurus in the background). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

The model is the same sculpt as the original Papo Parasaurolophus, but it has been given a striking makeover and the colour scheme chosen by the design team is vibrant and carefully thought through.  For example, fossil specimens of Parasaurolophus spp. have been associated with forested environments, after all, these large herbivores fed on a variety of plant materials including conifers.

The striped markings on the flanks, legs and tail would have helped to camouflage this large animal as it moved through woodland (helping to break up its body outline).

Camouflage for a Dinosaur

In addition, this body pattern would also have given a degree of protection as the colour scheme can prevent a predator from selecting an individual to attack.  Note also, the brighter colours associated with that splendid crest and the head/neck region.  This is probably a nod towards the hypothesis that these social animals used colour cues to indicate maturity and social status within the herd.

Replacing the Early “Green” Papo Parasaurolophus

This new replica is replacing the original “green” Parasaurolophus figure in this range.  Although team members at Everything Dinosaur have been able to secure some stock of the original Parasaurolophus model, so collectors can still acquire this figure.

To view the original Papo Parasaurolophus and the rest of the models in the “Les Dinosaures” range: Papo Dinosaur Models and Figures.

Something “Old” Something “New” Papo Parasaurolophus Models

Papo Parasaurolophus models old and new.
The original Papo Parasaurolophus (top) is being replaced by a new colour variant (bottom) in 2020.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

3 02, 2020

New Prehistoric Times Issue 132 Reviewed

By |2024-01-14T14:12:23+00:00February 3rd, 2020|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Magazine Reviews, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

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)

Prehistoric Times magazine (issue 132).
Prehistoric Times winter 2020 edition (issue 132).  The front cover artwork was supplied by British palaeoartist John Sibbick.

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 DinosaurIt 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”

CollectA rearing Diplodocus - grey
New for 2020 CollectA rearing Diplodocus – grey.  Lots of helpful advice on how to draw diplodocids in the winter edition of “Prehistoric Times”.

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.”

2 02, 2020

An Amazing Sunday Stegosaurus

By |2024-01-14T14:17:21+00:00February 2nd, 2020|Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

A Sunday Stegosaurus (Stegosaurus stenops)

“Sophie” the Stegosaurus has been on display at the London Natural History Museum since late 2014.  She stands (although palaeontologists remain uncertain as to whether “Sophie” represents a male or a female), in the Earth Hall close to the Exhibition road entrance.  The fossil specimen was discovered in the western United States in 2003 and acquired by the museum thanks to the efforts of private donors including a Hedge Fund manager.  This exhibit is the world’s most complete stegosaur specimen, the species is Stegosaurus stenops.

“Sophie” The Stegosaurus (S. stenops) on Display

Stegosaurus specimen on display.
Right lateral View of “Sophie” the Stegosaurus (London Natural History Museum). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Named after the Daughter of the Wealthy Hedge Fund Manager

This exhibit was named after the daughter of the wealthy Hedge Fund manager who helped secure the specimen.  A total of sixty-nine private donors contributed to the funding to help bring this fossil, originally from Wyoming to London.

“Sophie” Greeting Visitors to the Museum’s Earth Hall

Sophie the Stegosaurus at the London Natural History Museum
Sophie the Stegosaurus (S. stenops), a star exhibit at the London Natural History Museum. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Not Fully Grown

At around 5.6 metres long and standing a fraction under three metres tall, this 1.6 tonne herbivore is most impressive.  However, this dinosaur was not fully when grown when it died and it would have been dwarfed by the largest members of the Stegosauridae, some of which measured more than 9 metres in length.

The Stegosaurus Specimen at the London Natural History Museum

Natural History Museum (London) - Sophie the Stegosaurus
A view of the anterior of “Sophie” the Stegosaurus stenops specimen on display at the London Natural History Museum. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

“Sophie” might be quite small by stegosaur standards but we think this specimen is beautiful and we congratulate the Natural History Museum for creating such a spectacular exhibit that always thrills us when we visit.  We even have to grudgingly acknowledge the support of a Hedge Fund manager for making it possible.

A View of the Posterior Portions of “Sophie” the Stegosaurus

"Sophie" the Stegosaurus on display.
A posterior view of the spectacular “Sophie” the Stegosaurus (S. stenops) exhibit at the London Natural History Museum. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

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