Rebor has announced that the first wave of Retrosaurus dinosaur models is in production and due to be dispatched around the middle of June (2021). The first two models making up wave 1 are the Rebor 1:35 Vintage Palaeoart Tyrannosaurus rex “Mesozoic Rhapsody” Valley colour variant and the green-coloured Rebor 1:35 scale 80s T-REX Toy HD Remastered “Californiacation” VHS variant.
Rebor 1:35 Vintage Palaeoart Tyrannosaurus rex “Mesozoic Rhapsody” Valley colour variant. One of two “Retrosaurus” models from Rebor that make up wave 1 of this series.The Rebor 1:35 80s T-REX Toy HD Remastered “Californiacation” VHS in a left lateral view. The model is a retrospective demonstrating how our views regarding the Dinosauria have changed.
Changing Perceptions About the Dinosauria
These beautifully sculpted 1:35 scale figures represent dinosaurs as depicted in films that were made in the 1930s through to the late 1960s. Films such as King Kong (1933), One Million Years B.C. (1966) and the Valley of the Gwangi (1969), that inspired generations of Earth scientists.
The vintage Rebor 1:35 Palaeoart Tyrannosaurus rex “Mesozoic Rhapsody” Valley Colour Variant. Each model shows a theropod and depicts the dinosaur in the outdated tripodal posture with the tail dragging on the floor.The Rebor 1:35 80s T-REX Toy HD Remastered “Californiacation” VHS in a right lateral view. This shows the “classic” dinosaur tripodal pose with the tail dragging on the ground so reminiscent of movie dinosaurs up until recent times.
Model Measurements
The models entitled Rebor 1:35 Vintage Palaeoart Tyrannosaurus rex “Mesozoic Rhapsody” Valley and Rebor 1:35 80s T-REX Toy HD Remastered “Californiacation” VHS measure 28 cm in length, are approximately 20 cm tall and about 14 cm wide. They give dinosaurs a retrospective look, that is, they reflect how dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus were depicted in the past.
Rebor 1:35 Vintage Palaeoart Tyrannosaurus rex “Mesozoic Rhapsody” Valley dinosaur figure.The Rebor 1:35 80s T-REX Toy HD Remastered “Californiacation” VHS (anterior view).
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“Rebor have been keen to introduce a range of prehistoric animal figures that pay homage to the model designers and sculptors who animated dinosaurs and other long extinct creatures in iconic feature films that helped inspire a generation of palaeontologists. When compared to other figures that are available today, they demonstrate just how much our perceptions regarding the Dinosauria have changed.”
The figures show the fine detailing that Rebor is famous for and given that their tails rest on the ground, these tail-dragging models will be very stable allowing them to be displayed on a variety of media. Perhaps dinosaur model fans could have a go at building their own dioramas reproducing scenes made famous by stop motion pioneers such as Ray Harryhausen and Willis O’Brien.
The Rebor 1:35 Vintage Palaeoart Tyrannosaurus rex “Mesozoic Rhapsody” Valley colour variant.The Rebor 1:35 80s T-REX Toy HD Remastered “Californiacation” VHS has an articulated lower jaw.
Available for Pre-order
Both models are available for pre-order from Everything Dinosaur from today (May 21st 2021) and a spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that these models are expected to be in stock in late July (2021). They might come into stock sooner, but at this stage the spokesperson could not confirm a specific date.
The Rebor 1:35 80s T-REX Toy HD Remastered “Californiacation” VHS and the Rebor 1:35 Vintage Palaeoart Tyrannosaurus rex “Mesozoic Rhapsody” Valley colour variant are available to pre-order here: Rebor Models and Figures.
Specimens of a strange, recently extinct crocodile housed at the American Museum of Natural History (New York), have helped unravel a mystery surrounding the evolutionary relationships of crocodilians. The skulls belong to the horned crocodile of Madagascar (Voay robustus) and a research team has demonstrated that it was closely related to “true crocodiles” – Crocodylus, making it the closest species to the common ancestor of the crocodile genus.
A skull of Voay robustus collected at Ampoza during the joint mission Franco-Anglo-American expedition from 1927–1930 (White, 1930). Picture credit: Hekkala et al.
Recently Extinct
When the first Europeans came to Madagascar the native Malagasy people told them about two distinct types of crocodiles that lived on their island. There was a gracile form that preferred rivers, this was identified as a population of Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus), but the swamps and lakes were home to a crocodile that the early explorers had never seen before. This second type was a much more heavy-set and powerful animal with two, bony bumps at the top of its skull.
When first named and described in 1872 (Grandidier and Vaillant), it was thought to be a species of true crocodile – a member of the Crocodylus genus. More recent studies have suggested affinities with the dwarf crocodiles (Osteolaeminae), however, with an estimated length of around 5 metres V. robustus was much larger than any other species assigned to this group.
New research published in the academic journal Communications Biology, which used DNA extracted from the American Museum of Natural History specimens, has resolved the phylogeny of this enigmatic reptile. Carbon dating of the material used in the study confirms that the horned crocodile probably survived until just a few hundred years ago.
The DNA study places the horned crocodile right next to the true crocodile branch of the evolutionary tree, making it the closest species to the common ancestor of the crocodiles alive today.
One of the authors of the scientific paper, Evon Hekkala, a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History stated:
“This crocodile was hiding out on the island of Madagascar during the time when people were building the pyramids and was probably still there when pirates were getting stranded on the island. They blinked out just before we had the modern genomic tools available to make sense of the relationships of living things. And yet, they were the key to understanding the story of all the crocodiles alive today.”
Mitochondrial DNA extracted from sub-fossil specimens found during a Franco-Anglo-American expedition to south-western Madagascar (1927 to 1930), demonstrates that V. robustus was not a true crocodile but very closely related to that lineage that led to them. Being placed next to the true crocodiles on an evolutionary tree suggests that it was the closest species to the common ancestor of extant members of the Crocodylus genus.
The tip of the lower jaw (dentary) of the horned crocodile from Madagascar (Voay robustus). Carbon dating of the subfossils suggests that they are less than 1,400 years old. Picture credit: The American Museum of Natural History.
Co-author George Amato, (American Museum of Natural History), explained:
“This is a project we’ve tried to do on and off for many years, but the technology just hadn’t advanced enough, so it always failed. But in time, we had both the computational setup and the paleogenomic protocols that could actually fish out this DNA from the fossil and finally find a home for this species.”
“Teasing apart the relationships of modern crocodiles is really difficult because of the physical similarities,” Hekkala added. “Many people don’t even realise that there are multiple species of crocodiles, and they see them as this animal that’s unchanging through time. But we’ve been trying to get to the bottom of the great diversity that exists among them.”
Surprising Results
The close affinity of Voay to Crocodylus lends weight to the idea that Crocodylus originated in Africa and then dispersed into the Americas and Asia/Australia. Competing theories have proposed an Asian origin for Crocodylus but as Voay was restricted to Madagascar and has been cited as the closest species to the true crocodiles, this DNA analysis lends weight to the “African origins” idea.
The scientific paper: “Paleogenomics illuminates the evolutionary history of the extinct Holocene “horned” crocodile of Madagascar, Voay robustus” by E. Hekkala, J. Gatesy, A. Narechania, R. Meredith, M. Russello, M. L. Aardema, E. Jensen, S. Montanari, C. Brochu, M. Norell and G. Amato published in Communications Biology.
The Wild Past Tethyshadros pair are in stock at Everything Dinosaur. Two stunning Tethyshadros figures, one standing, one resting and a display base. This is the second model introduction from Wild Past and it is great to see such an important dinosaur represented in model form.
The Wild Past Tethyshadros dinosaur models.
Tethyshadros insularis
Formally named and scientifically described in 2009, Tethyshadros (T. insularis) is one of only a handful of dinosaurs known from Italy, although numerous trace fossils have been identified with many dinosaur trackways reported. It was once thought that the chances of finding dinosaur bones in Italy were remote, much of the landmass was covered by the Tethys Ocean for a considerable portion of the Mesozoic. However, carbonate platforms were built up and an archipelago of islands (some of them substantial in size), were formed. Tethyshadros occupied one such island, located in the western Tethys. Its relative diminutive size (around 4.2 metres in length), may be a reflection of insular dwarfism when limited resources leads to dwarf forms evolving.
The two hand-painted Tethyshadros figures (Wild Past). The figures represent a dinosaur that lived on a large island in the Tethys Ocean that had formed from the deposition of carbonate from sessile organisms such as scleractinian corals. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Approximately 1:35 Scale
The standing figure measures a fraction under 11 cm in length and stands around 4.5 cm high, whilst its counterpart, the Tethyshadros in the resting pose measures a little under 10.5 cm long. They have been beautifully painted and are sold in a presentation box which features an illustration by the talented artist Joseph Fells. The figures are reported to be in 1:35 scale.
Wild Past Tethyshadros dinosaur models (box contents) with the illustration by Joseph Fells.
In order to get the Tethyshadros model to stand securely in the footprints on the display base we added a small piece of blu tack to the base of each hind foot. The figure can always be glued into place if required, but we found the additional support from the adhesive helped to stabilise the figure. The display base has been well painted and the figures make a welcome addition to the range of hadrosauroid models that are available to collectors.
The front of the Wild Past Tethyshadros box. The set includes two figures (one resting, one standing) and a display base. The models are approximately in 1:35 scale. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
The pair of Tethyshadros dinosaurs are the second model introduction in the Wild Past range after the initial introduction of the Protoceratops with nest model that came out in 2020.
The Tethyshadros models are the second dinosaur figures to be introduced by Wild Past after the introduction of the Protoceratops model in 2020.
Everything Dinosaur has received lots of requests for a Placerias model, so our dedicated team members responded by making sure customers could pick up a Placerias if they wanted to. This large, Late Triassic dicynodont has remained popular ever since it appeared in the very first episode of the ground-breaking BBC television documentary “Walking with Dinosaurs” back in 1999. We have brought in a special batch of prehistoric animal figures to ensure that there are plenty of Placerias to go around. We have tried our best to ensure collectors can pick up a Placerias prehistoric animal model.
The Placerias figure available from Everything Dinosaur whilst stocks last. Team members have brought in a special batch of prehistoric animal figures to ensure that there are plenty of Placerias. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
An Inexpensive Prehistoric Animal Figure
The Placerias is available as part of a set of inexpensive prehistoric animal figures that we stock. However, we were receiving so many requests for this particular figure that stocks soon ran out. Team members have arranged to bring in a special production run of these prehistoric animals and this has permitted the model to be made available for sale as an individual item.
Placerias model in anterior view. Making Late Triassic dioramas is now a lot easier as dinosaur fans and model collectors can pick up a Placerias. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“This Placerias model is very similar to the dicynodonts that featured in the first ever episode of the BBC series “Walking with Dinosaurs”. The episode was called “New Blood” and depicted the faunal turnover that was taking place in the Late Triassic as the dinosaurs were beginning to be dominate terrestrial ecosystems. A herd of green-coloured Placerias, very similar to our Placerias model were slowly dying out as they could not adapt to dramatic climate change.”
At the time it was made the award-winning “Walking with Dinosaurs” television series was the most expensive project undertaken by the BBC in terms of the cost per minute of screen time. Placerias was depicted as a member of the Ghost Ranch biota of New Mexico. Terrestrial environments during the Late Permian had been dominated by the herbivorous Dicynodontia. Although severely depleted as a result of the End-Permian mass extinction, these therapsids survived throughout the Triassic before finally becoming extinct as more arid conditions favoured the emerging dinosauromorphs that were to take over the role as megaherbivores in Late Triassic ecosystems.
A trio of Placerias models. The Placerias replica is great for creating Triassic dioramas. This Placerias model is available from Everything Dinosaur. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The Placerias prehistoric animal model can be found (whilst stocks last), on this section of the Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys and Gifts.
Update: CollectA have added a 1:20 scale replica of Placerias to their Deluxe model range.
A team of scientists writing in the journal Current Biology have applied new statistical methods to assess how constrained different types of mammals were before and after the K-Pg extinction event that saw the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs. The researchers conclude that dinosaurs were probably not the main competitors of mammals during the Mesozoic. In addition, this study indicates that the ancestors of modern mammals during the age of the dinosaurs remained less diverse because of competition from other mammal groups.
A life reconstruction of the stem mammal C. wahkarmoosuch. Mammals during the Mesozoic were thought to have been limited in their ecological niches due to the dominance of the Dinosauria. New research suggests that the dinosaurs were probably not the main competitors of mammaliaforms. Picture credit: Jorge A. Gonzalez.
Analysing the Variability of Mammal Fossils from the Mesozoic
The research involved scientists from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the University of Birmingham and Oxford University and its aim was to challenge the long held belief that it was the non-avian dinosaurs dominating terrestrial environments that in effect, held back and stunted the evolution of mammals. Their conclusions such as the extinction of other mammal groups was more beneficial to modern mammals than the extinction of non-bird dinosaurs, highlights the importance of testing established ideas about evolution with new, modern methods.
The 1975 BBC book “Before the Ark” depicts a small mammal (arrowed) in a world dominated by dinosaurs and other reptiles. This new study challenged the old and established idea that it was the dinosaurs that outcompeted early mammals restricting them to small size and non-specialised roles with terrestrial ecosystems.
Earlier Branches of the Mammal Evolutionary Tree Dominated
Co-author of the study Dr Elsa Panciroli (Oxford University Museum of Natural History), commented:
“There were lots of exciting types of mammals in the time of dinosaurs that included gliding, swimming and burrowing species, but none of these mammals belonged to modern groups, they all come from earlier branches in the mammal tree. These other kinds of mammals mostly became extinct at the same time as the non-avian dinosaurs, at which point modern mammals start to become larger, explore new diets and ways of life. From our research it looks like before the extinction it was the earlier radiations of mammals that kept the modern mammals out of these exciting ecological roles by outcompeting them”.
Examining the phylogeny of early mammaliaforms. The diversity of early mammaliaforms such as the docodonts may have prevented the Metatheria (marsupials) and the Eutheria (placental mammals) which are collectively known as the Theria, from becoming more diverse in the Mesozoic. Picture credit: University of Chicago (illustration by April Neander).
The Therians Kept in Check by Other Types of Mammaliaforms
Most of the mammal species alive today trace their origins to groups that expanded explosively 66 million years ago, when a mass extinction killed all non-avian dinosaurs. It was traditionally thought that, before the extinction, mammals lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs. They were supposedly prevented from occupying the niches that were already occupied by the giant reptiles, keeping the mammals relatively small and unspecialised in terms of diet and lifestyle. It appeared that they were only able to flourish after the dinosaurs’ disappearance left these niches vacant.
However, new statistical methods were used to analyse how constrained different groups of mammals were in their evolution before and after the mass extinction. These methods identified the point where evolution stopped producing new traits and started producing features that had already evolved in other lineages. This allowed the researchers to identify the evolutionary “limits” placed on different groups of mammals, showing where they were being excluded from different niches by competition with other animals. The results suggest that it may not have been the dinosaurs that were placing the biggest constraints on the ancestors of modern mammals, but their closest relatives.
The study looked at the anatomy of all the different kinds of mammals living alongside dinosaurs, including the ancestors of modern groups, also known as therians (placentals and marsupials).
By measuring how frequently new features appeared, such as changes in the size and shape of their teeth and bones, and the pattern and timing of their appearance before and after the mass extinction, the researchers determined that the modern mammals were more constrained during the time of the dinosaurs than their close relatives. This meant that while their relatives were exploring larger body sizes, different diets, and novel ways of life such as climbing and gliding, they were excluding modern mammals from these lifestyles, keeping them small and generalist in their habits.
Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a press release from the University of Oxford in the compilation of this article.
The scientific paper: “Mammaliaform extinctions as a driver of the morphological radiation of Cenozoic mammals” by Neil Brocklehurst, Elsa Panciroli, Gemma Louise Benevento and Roger B.J. Benson published in Current Biology.
Whilst working in one of Everything Dinosaur’s packing rooms a PNSO Parasaurolophus model was spotted. This gave team members the opportunity to take some photographs of this superb, duck-billed dinosaur model. The Parasaurolophus figure (Wyatt the Parasaurolophus), is a recent introduction into the PNSO mid-size model range and it is the third hadrosaur to be added after the Corythosaurus and Lambeosaurus that came out last year.
PNSO Wyatt the Parasaurolophus dinosaur model in lateral view, a stunning replica of a Late Cretaceous duck-billed dinosaur. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
A Blue-eyed Ornithopod
PNSO have built up a strong reputation in the last few years or so for the quality of their dinosaur models and figures. The Parasaurolophus has been beautifully painted with fantastic countershading, a spectacular, brightly coloured head crest and this ornithopod has been given a blue eye. The details on the skin are praiseworthy with lots of skin folds and texture giving the impression of bulk and movement. Stripes descending down the flanks and running along to the end of the tail would have helped to break-up the outline of this large herbivore and helped to camouflage it from marauding tyrannosaurs.
A PNSO Wyatt the Parasaurolophus spotted going for a wander in one of Everything Dinosaur’s packing rooms. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Rave Reviews from Dinosaur Fans and Model Collectors
Although this dinosaur model has not been out for long, it has already received rave reviews from dinosaur fans and model collectors.
For example, in a 5-star Feefo review posted on Everything Dinosaur’s website the reviewer described Wyatt the Parasaurolophus as “Perfect!”
Another reviewer who commented on their purchase on our website referred to this Parasaurolophus model as:
“very scientifically accurate, beautiful colour scheme and natural relaxed pose”.
The Parasaurolophus model measures a fraction under 28 centimetres in length and that magnificent head crest is around 11 cm off the ground.
PNSO Wyatt the Parasaurolophus dinosaur model. Part of a range of beautifully designed prehistoric animal figures made by PNSO. It joins a Corythosaurus (Caroline the Corythosaurus) and a Lambeosaurus (Audrey the Lambeosaurus) that were introduced into this range in 2020.
To purchase the PNSO Wyatt the Parasaurolophus and to see the rest of the amazing PNSO prehistoric animals available from Everything Dinosaur: PNSO Age of Dinosaurs.
Our thanks to model collector and dinosaur fan William who sent us at Everything Dinosaur a comprehensive review of his recently purchased PNSO Essien Spinosaurus figure (mid-size model range). Not only did William review the figure, he also provided some information about the science behind Spinosaurus.
PNSO Essien the Spinosaurus dinosaur model. This Spinosaurus figure has an articulated lower jaw.
The Spinosaurus Review
Starting with the head there is a fully articulated jaw. A perfect blend within the skull ending in the classical Spinosauridae notched upper rostrum which aids with holding slippery prey items. Essien’s teeth are carefully reproduced from the fossil specimen with slender and crocodile-like dentition. The eyes are correctly situated high on the skull, as are the nostrils to aid breathing while hunting with his rostrum dipped under the surface. An elongated crest completes the head sculpt.
PNSO have given Essien some very finely detailed and varied skin scaling, in addition, the model has a crocodilian-like dewlapped pouch. One could see a female Spinosaurus transporting her wriggling brood down to a safe nursery stream. The neck is muscular and powerful and there is only the slightest hint of a shrink-wrap effect around the eye socket.
The packaging for the PNSO Spinosaurus dinosaur model.
Powerful Forelimbs
The figure has strong, powerful forearms with three long claws on each hand. The right hand (manus), is set in a knuckle walking pose but looks very natural. The hindlimbs are on the money with correct toe placement and webbing between the toes. Essien has the signature body plan which denotes the pinnacle of Spinosauridae evolution. The model has a cloaca and it is correctly placed.
The beautiful artwork on the PNSO Essien the Spinosaurus box. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The Spinosaurus Sail
William describes this Spinosaurus figure as:
“The finest model on the market and one that will be rather hard to beat”.
He goes on to highlight the details of the sail which reflects the latest scientific interpretation. The sail is described as curving upwards into a rounded peak which then dips but then rises again forming a second peak over the hips.
The function of this feature is discussed and various suggestions proposed:
Heat dissipation
Showing maturity and fitness for breeding
A warning or threat display
An aid to propulsion through water
William adds:
“Essien has been given beautiful, finely detailed vertebrae/ribs. Each section of the sail vertebrae is covered in large thick scales with smaller ones in the skin between them all anchored at the base of the sail with robust scute-like scales. One feature not found in any other model is if you hold him up to sun light the sail becomes translucent”.
PNSO Essien the Spinosaurus (dorsal view). William suggests that this figure is in approximately 1:50 scale and refers to the tail as being capable of producing “muscular thrust”.
Spinosaurus Colouration
William suggests that the figure has been posed as if it has spotted a rival and is about to bellow out a challenge. His comprehensive review also included commentary on the paint scheme stating that the main base colours are a combination of rich red and yellow ochres, with darker stripes running from the back of the neck to the end of the tail. The white teeth are set within a pink palate and tongue the head has a prominent nasal ridge. He comments that the wash coat given to the mouth area is a great finishing touch providing a natural wet look.
The review concludes with William providing some details on Spinosaurus aegyptiacus.
Time Period: 99-93.5 million years (Late Cretaceous).
William goes on to state that the debate continues with regards to how much time this dinosaur spent in water and how it hunted. Potential prey such as Onchopristis is mentioned.
The review concludes with William commenting:
“We Your Customers/Friends wish to thank you all for being a company owned and run by folks who we hold in the highest regard. Thank you for being our friends and thank you for being Everything Dinosaur. If you need accurate models to aid with school project diorama or information packs to aid with learning of the Wee Future Palaeontologists all you have to do is contact the team at Everything Dinosaur for prompt advice and assistance.”
Our thanks to William, we hope our synopsis of his comprehensive review in some small way does justice to the considerable time and effort put in producing it.
To purchase Essien the Spinosaurus and the other figures in the PNSO model range: PNSO Age of Dinosaurs.
A new species of lambeosaurine hadrosaurid has been named and described this week from fossil material excavated from a site close to the town of Presa de San Antonio in northern Mexico. The dinosaur has been named (Tlatolophus galorum) and it represents the most complete lambeosaurine known to date from Mexico. A phylogenetic assessment of the extensive fossil material suggests that this dinosaur was more closely related to Parasaurolophus which is known from roughly contemporaneous strata further north than it was to the lambeosaur Velafrons coahuilensis, the first duck-billed dinosaur from Mexico to be scientifically described.
Tlatolophus galorum life reconstruction. Picture credit: Marco Pineda.
The Tail of a Hadrosaur’s Tail
In 2013, Everything Dinosaur reported on the discovery of an articulated dinosaur tail in upper Campanian deposits of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation that had been putatively assigned to a hadrosaur. Field team members from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), an institution of the Ministry of Culture and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) were despatched to excavate the specimen. The fossils had been spotted weathering on the surface in 2005, but serious field work did not commence until 2013.
Tlatolophus galorum – the quarry. Field team members at the dig site, elements of the tail and hips can be seen exposed on the surface. Picture credit: INAH
Exposing More of the Specimen
The first aim was to collect and stabilise the material exposed to the elements on the surface. Once this had been taken care of further excavation work revealed that almost the entire tail was present (just the most distal elements were missing). As more of the specimen was revealed the field team slowly began to realise that the anterior portion of the dinosaur might be present too.
Co-author of the scientific paper, published this week in Cretaceous Research Ramírez Velasco (UNAM) commented:
“Although we had given up hope of finding the upper part of the specimen, once we recovered the tail, we continued excavating underneath where it was located. The surprise was that we began to find bones such as the femur, the scapula and other elements”.
Field team members at an early stage of the excavation project, the tail of the hadrosaur has been exposed. Picture credit: INAH
An Elongated Drop-shaped Bone
As more of the front half of the dinosaur was exposed, a drop-shaped bone was found. At first, this was interpreted as part of the pelvis, but researcher José López Espinoza suggested that this was a bone from the skull. It was only after careful cleaning, preparation and analysis in the laboratory that the scientists realised that they had 34 bone fragments that formed a considerable portion of the skull and jaws.
Air scribes being used to remove the matrix close to the bone (Tlatolophus galorum fossil preparation).Thirty-four bone fragments when pieced together formed the skull of the hadrosaur. Picture credit: INAH.
Identifying the Crest
The team were excited to discovery that about 80% of the skull had been recovered including the premaxillae that formed the top part of this duck-billed dinosaur’s head crest. The crest measures an impressive 1.32 metres in length, as well as being able to determine the shape of the crest the scientists could also reconstruct the neurocranium, that part of the skull that housed the brain.
The skull of Tlatolophus galorum. Picture credit: Juan Miguel Contreras Fotógrafo (técnico del Instituto de Geología).
Comparison with Velafrons coahuilensis
With so much of the skull material preserved, the research team was able to compare these fossils to other lambeosaurines, including the contemporaneous Velafrons coahuilensis which is also known from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation. Taxonomic and phylogenetic assessments consigned Tlatolophus to the Parasaurolophini tribe, suggesting that it was more closely related to hadrosaurs found further north than it was to Velafrons.
Careful assessment of the fossil bones to establish a new genus and to place Tlatolophus within the Parasaurolophini tribe. This Mexican dinosaur was closely related to the famous Parasaurolophus crested dinosaur. Picture credit: INAH.
Tlatolophus – What’s in a Name?
The etymology of this dinosaur’s name reflects the shape of the distinctive head crest. The genus name derives from the local Náhuatl dialect for the word “tlahtolli” which translates as “word” as the crest shape resembles a symbol used by native people to demonstrate communication. The Latin “lophus” means “crest” and therefore the genus name translates as “word crest”. The species or trivial name honours the philanthropist Jesús Garza Arocha and recognises the assistance of the López family, who helped the palaeontologists by providing accommodation, food and other facilities during the field seasons.
Many hours of work in the preparation laboratory were required in order to clean and preserve the fossil material. The trivial name of this new dinosaur honours the philanthropist Jesús Garza Arocha without whose support much of the extensive preparation work would not have been undertaken. Picture credit: INAH
Tail Bones on Display
The articulated tail of Tlatolophus galorum is on display in the municipal capital of General Cepeda, where, with the support of the city council, a special area was set aside to highlight the dinosaur fossils that have been found in this region of northern Mexico.
A life reconstruction of the newly described hadrosaur Tlatolophus galorum (assigned to the Parasaurolophini tribe). Picture credit: Luis Rey.
Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release and scientific notes provided by the INAH in the compilation of this article.
To read Everything Dinosaur’s 2013 blog post about the excavation work to uncover and remove the articulated tail of the specimen: The Tail of a Hadrosaur’s Tail.
The scientific paper: “Tlatolophus galorum, gen. et sp. nov., a parasaurolophini dinosaur from the upper Campanian of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Coahuila, northern Mexico” by Ángel A. Ramírez-Velasco, Felisa J. Aguilar, René Hernández-Rivera, José Luis Gudiño Maussán, Marisol Lara Rodríguez and Jesús Alvarado-Ortega published in Cretaceous Research.
Twelve thousand years ago two, adult bull, Columbian mammoths fought an epic duel on the Nebraskan plains. There was to be no winner, both animals died a slow and agonising death as their massive tusks became entangled and these behemoths could not separate. In 1962, surveyors discovered their tomb, the two combatants still locked together face to face. A remarkable fossil discovery providing an unprecedented insight into a single event that took place thousands of years ago. Dr Dean Lomax documents this astonishing fossil find in a new book that looks at fifty snapshots in deep time recording the lives and behaviours of animals etched into prehistory.
Published by Columbia University Press “Locked in Time” examines 50 extraordinary fossils that provide a remarkable glimpse into the lives and behaviours of long extinct animals. Picture credit: The University of Manchester.
Stunning Illustrations by Bob Nicholls
Dr Dean Lomax (University of Manchester), examines some of the most extraordinary fossils ever found in five carefully crafted chapters. The book entitled “Locked in Time” provides an insight into the lives, activities and behaviours of long extinct creatures as revealed in a remarkable fossil record. Renowned palaeoartist Bob Nicholls provides the sumptuous illustrations that brings Dean’s narrative to life.
One of the dramatic illustrations from the book. The pair of Columbian mammoths (Mammuthus columbi) that died face to face when their tusks became locked together during combat. Picture Credit: Bob Nicholls.
From Burrowing Giant Ground Sloths to Fighting Dinosaurs
From dinosaurs fighting to their deaths (as depicted on the front cover), the last ever journey of an ancient horseshoe crab, mating insects trapped in time, to giant burrowing ground sloths, this book takes readers on a global journey deep into our planet’s fascinating past. Aimed at the general reader, “Locked in Time” offers an unprecedented glimpse into the real-life behaviours of prehistoric animals.
Author Dean Lomax sits next to a dinosaur limb bone at the Wyoming Dinosaur Centre. Dr Lomax helps to provide an insight to the lives of the real animals that their fossils represent. Picture Credit: University of Manchester.
Ten Years in the Making
“Locked in Time” takes the reader on a journey across continents and through millions of years of Earth’s history. It has been meticulously researched and Dr Lomax is a most eloquent and well-informed tour guide.
When asked what inspired him to compile such a fascinating insight into life in the past, Dean responded:
“I’ve spent more than a decade researching and writing Locked in Time, having been inspired by an incredible Jurassic fossil I first saw in 2008. My hope is that the book, and the fossils therein, will encourage you to look at fossils and prehistoric life with an entirely new perspective, helping to show that these once living, breathing animals were as real as you and me.”
Fossilised dinosaur remains found over twenty years ago have been re-examined and determined to represent a new species of horned dinosaur. Menefeeceratops (M. sealeyi) from the early Campanian of New Mexico, might just be the oldest centrosaurine described to date.
Menefeeceratops sealeyi life reconstruction. Picture Credit: Sergey Krasovskiy.This horned dinosaur was contemporaneous with the tyrannosaur Dynamoterror (D. dynastes). This theropod can be seen in the background (right). Recent fossil discoveries are helping scientists to better understand the dinosaur dominated biota of southern Laramidia during the Campanian. The picture (above) also depicts a hadrosaur in the background (left), team members at Everything Dinosaur consider this to be a depiction of the saurolophine hadrosaur Ornatops (O. incantatus)
From the Menefee Formation of New Mexico
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in collaboration with a colleague from the State Museum of Pennsylvania, writing in the academic journal Paläontologische Zeitschrift, report on the reassessment of ceratopsian bones originally collected at a site near to Cuba, in New Mexico. The fossils, representing a partial skeleton of a single dinosaur were found by Paul Sealey, a research associate at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, whilst exploring the Allison Member of the Menefee Formation in 1996 and discussed in academic literature a year later but no genus name was proposed or other research conducted.
The fossils which consist of cranial and postcranial material remained within the collection of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, however, with dinosaurs being named and described from the Menefee Formation such as the tyrannosaur Dynamoterror dynastes and the nodosaurid Invictarx zephyri, both of which were named and described in 2018, interest in this specimen was reawakened. Further preparation revealed unique traits associated with the skull material that permitted the establishment of a new genus.
Skeletal reconstruction of Menefeeceratops showing known bones in blue. Picture credit: Dalman et al.
Menefeeceratops sealeyi
Classified as a basal member of the Centrosaurinae, Menefeeceratops sealeyi helps palaeontologists to piece together the evolutionary history of the Ceratopsia. Estimated to have lived around 82 million years ago (Early Campanian), the authors of the scientific paper Sebastian Dalman, Spencer G. Lucas and Asher Lichtig (New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science), Steven Jasinski (State Museum of Pennsylvania) and Peter Dodson (University of Pennsylvania) postulate that Menefeeceratops represents the earliest member of the centrosaurine subfamily of horned dinosaurs known to science.
The distinctive shape of the squamosal (skull bone that formed part of the neck frill), permitted the scientists to erect a new genus. The name honours the Menefee Formation, whilst the trivial name recognises the work of Paul Sealey, not only for the original discovery but for his contribution to the study of the dinosaurs of New Mexico.
Views of the left squamosal bone of Menefeeceratops sealeyi (left lateral and right lateral views). Picture credit: Dalman et al.The squamosal, whilst less ornate than other ceratopsids has a distinctive shape which helped permit the erection of a new genus.
How Big was Menefeeceratops?
By comparing the bones of Menefeeceratops to more complete centrosaurine specimens, the research team were able to estimate the size of this dinosaur. They conclude that it was relatively small, when compared to later members of the Centrosaurinae such as Pachyrhinosaurus and Styracosaurus, at around 3.9 to 4.4 metres in length.
Commenting on the significance of the reassessment of the fossil material that led to the naming of Menefeeceratops, co-author of the scientific paper Spencer G. Lucas stated:
“Menefeeceratops shows us just how much we still have to learn about the horned dinosaurs of western North America. The oldest centrosaur, Menefeeceratops indicates that the southwest region of the United States was an important place in the evolution of the centrosaurs. The recognition of this new centrosaur adds to a growing diversity of centrosaurs, and thus provides impetus to further efforts to discover fossils of these kinds of dinosaurs.”
Authors involved in this study, also named and described the related but geologically much younger centrosaurine Crittendenceratops. To read about Crittendenceratops krzyzanowskii: A New Horned Dinosaur from Arizona.
Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Pennsylvania in the compilation of this article.
The scientific paper: “The oldest centrosaurine: a new ceratopsid dinosaur (Dinosauria: Ceratopsidae) from the Allison Member of the Menefee Formation (Upper Cretaceous, early Campanian), north-western New Mexico, USA” by Sebastian G. Dalman, Spencer G. Lucas, Steven E. Jasinski, Asher J. Lichtig & Peter Dodson published in Paläontologische Zeitschrift.
