All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.
10 09, 2023

Amazing! Over 600 Feefo Product Reviews!

By |2024-01-02T14:34:18+00:00September 10th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

Everything Dinosaur has received a whopping 647 Feefo product reviews over the last few months. Feefo, the independent ratings agency records comments from customers and feedback on products. As well as receiving hundreds of comments about customer service, nearly 650 product reviews have been received.

Feefo product feedback
Over the last few months Everything Dinosaur has received a colossal 647 feedback comments about products from customers. The average product rating from customers was an amazing 4.9 out of 5 stars. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Feefo Product Reviews

Feefo is one of the world’s largest verified buyer reviews platforms.

Feefo helps to empower businesses like Everything Dinosaur by collecting genuine, verified customer reviews and insights. This feedback provides visitors to our website with extra assurance and allows Everything Dinosaur to relate real customer purchasing experiences.

Over 93% of the product reviews received are 5-star reviews. An amazing 642 out of 647 product reviews from customers are either 4-star or 5-star (99.2%).

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We would like to thank all our reviewers who have submitted feedback to Feefo about us. The comments we have received help us to improve our business. Everything Dinosaur has received an amazing 647 reviews over the last few months. We are immensely proud to have earned such an astonishing number of 5-star reviews.”

Customer Service Reviews

In addition to the product reviews, Everything Dinosaur has received hundreds of customer service reviews. Of the 324 customer service reviews received over this period, 320 of them are 5-star reviews. The other four reviews are 4-star reviews.

With this level of independently verified customer reviews, Everything Dinosaur has one of the best business ratings for customer service in worldwide retail.

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

9 09, 2023

The Stunning PNSO Requena the Livyatan is Reviewed

By |2024-03-09T15:05:35+00:00September 9th, 2023|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Product Reviews|0 Comments

Our thanks to William who sent into Everything Dinosaur his review of the PNSO Requena the Livyatan prehistoric whale model. The reviewer commented that the PNSO model was impressive, a replica worthy of fighting the formidable Otodus megalodon.

PNSO Requena the Livyatan model close view of the head
A close-up view of the head of Requena the Livyatan.

To view the range of PNSO prehistoric animal figures available from Everything Dinosaur: PNSO Age of Dinosaurs Models and Figures.

PNSO Requena the Livyatan

William explained that the PNSO Livyatan was a superb model. He stated that in his opinion it would not be surpassed. It was wonderful to own a replica of one of the Earth’s greatest predators.

The reviewer commented:

“This is my first foray into the ancient Miocene oceans and I chose wisely with the ancient “Requena”. It is just perfection, in all aspects from the sculpt, to the colour, to the design. Everything Dinosaur delivers with their premier on-line global store.”

PNSO Requena the Livyatan model
PNSO Requena the Livyatan prehistoric whale model anterior view.

A “Leviathan” of a Model

Pleased with his PNSO purchase William forgave the visible seams on this large figure and exclaimed:

“It is not a tiny figure, it’s a leviathan of a model!”

The reviewer concluded his comments by praising Everything Dinosaur. He complimented the UK-based mail order company for their efforts in bringing into stock the latest models and figures. He highlighted Everything Dinosaur’s work with Haolonggood of China and congratulated them on becoming official stockists.

William has purchased from Everything Dinosaur on many occasions. He highlighted how easy it was to make a purchase. In addition, he stressed how safe and secure purchasing was. He explained that customers receive an email with minutes of placing an order. Parcels are packed and despatched swiftly.

Our thanks to William for his kind comments.

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

8 09, 2023

Colourful and Charming Dinosaur Eggs

By |2024-01-02T14:35:44+00:00September 8th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Early Years Foundation Reception, Educational Activities, Key Stage 1/2, Main Page, Photos|0 Comments

Team members at Everything Dinosaur spotted some colourful dinosaur eggs in a carefully constructed nest on a visit to a Cheshire primary school. Whilst reviewing some teaching work from early 2018, we found a picture of the beautiful dinosaur eggs.

Dinosaur eggs in a dinosaur nest.
Some beautiful and very colour dinosaur eggs spotted at Little Leigh primary school (Cheshire). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Dinosaur Eggs

The photograph of the dinosaur nest was taken on a visit to Little Leigh primary in Cheshire. Everything Dinosaur had been invited into the school to deliver a workshop to Year 1 children who were learning about dinosaurs. The dedicated teaching team created the eggs, and the children were asked about what materials could go into the nest to keep the eggs safe. This exercise was a great way for the pupils to explore the properties of materials. In addition, to learning about dinosaur eggs, the pupils had the opportunity to examine different nesting materials.

To contact Everything Dinosaur to learn more about our outreach work: Email Everything Dinosaur.

A Dinosaur Workshop

A spokesperson from the UK-based mail order company commented that they remembered the school visit. The spacious Year 1 classrooms were filled with lots of examples of the children’s work. One of the teachers had constructed a small dinosaur museum in a corner of the room.

A dinosaur museum at a primary school (Little Leigh, Cheshire).
A dinosaur museum spotted at a school. Picture credit: Little Leigh Primary/Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Little Leigh Primary/Everything Dinosaur

The spokesperson added:

“The children were very enthusiastic, and they wanted to give us a tour of their classroom. We enjoyed visiting the dinosaur museum. However, we had to cut our visit short, we had a dinosaur and fossil workshop to deliver.”

Afterwards we chatted to the teaching team. They thanked us for the visit, and we congratulated them on their excellent scheme of work.

To visit the Everything Dinosaur award-winning website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

7 09, 2023

A New Japanese Deinocheirid Dinosaur

By |2023-09-14T09:09:55+01:00September 7th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

A new species of Japanese dinosaur has been announced. The dinosaur, classified as a deinocheirid and therefore distantly related to the bizarre Deinocheirus has been named Tyrannomimus fukuiensis.

Fragmentary fossils representing a type of ornithomimosaur had been excavated from the Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry (Fukui Prefecture, Japan) since 1998. The remains represent several individuals, but the fossil bones show identical anatomical traits leading palaeontologists to conclude that a single, new taxon was present.

Tyrannomimus fukuiensis fossil material.
Fossil material associated with T. fukuiensis. The holotype (FPDM-V-11333) shown in red and the paratype shown in blue. The right femur in the diagram is a mirror image of the left femur (FPDM-V-11338). Picture credit: Hattori et al with additional annotation by Everything Dinosaur.

Tyrannomimus fukuiensis

Phylogenetic analysis indicates that T. fukuiensis is the earliest definitive deinocheirid described to date. Its discovery will help scientists to better understand the evolution and dispersal of early ornithomimosaurs. Tyrannomimus is estimated to have had a body length of around 2.5 metres. It was probably feathered.

Tyrannomimus fukuiensis dig site in 2019.
The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry in 2019 with an arrowhead indicating where the studied specimens were found. Picture credit: Hattori et al.

The bonebed from which the fossil material was excavated is thought to be around 120 million years old (Aptian faunal stage of the Cretaceous). The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry has yielded several different types of dinosaur. The stratum from where the Tyrannomimus was excavated is associated with two other dinosaurs – Fukuiraptor (possible megaraptoran) and the herbivorous Fukuisaurus (hadrosauriform).

Tyrannomimus fukuiensis from the Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry.
Stratigraphic section of the part of the Kitadani Formation in the Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry showing the approximate location of key fossils including dinosaurs such as Tyrannomimus fukuiensis. Picture credit: Hattori et al with additional annotation by Everything Dinosaur.

Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry Bonebed 1 Biota

Both Fukuiraptor (F. kitadaniensis) and Fukuisaurus (F. tetoriensis) are found at the same level as Tyrannomimus fossil material. This suggests these dinosaurs were coeval. The palaeoclimate of the lower portion of the Kitadani Formation is believed to have been a humid, tropical ecosystem. Slightly younger geological deposits, yield abundant conifer fossils indicating that the climate may have become drier.

CollectA dinosaur models Fukuiraptor and Fukuisaurus.
The CollectA Fukuiraptor (top) and the CollectA Deluxe Fukuisaurus (bottom). These dinosaurs may have been contemporaries of the newly described deinocheirid Tyrannomimus.

The picture (above) shows Fukuiraptor and Fukuisaurus figures. These replicas are part of the CollectA range of prehistoric animal figures. Fukuiraptor is in the CollectA Age of Dinosaurs range, whilst the 1:40 scale Fukuisaurus is found within the CollectA Deluxe range.

CollectA Age of Dinosaurs: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Prehistoric Life.

CollectA Deluxe Models: CollectA Deluxe/Supreme Scale Models.

Not a Tyrannosauroid

The genus name translates as “tyrant mimic”. The ilium shows similarities to the hip bones of tyrannosauroids. Indeed, prior to its formal scientific description this dinosaur was thought to be a member of the Tyrannosauroidea.

The identification of Tyrannomimus fukuiensis as an ornithomimosaur has implications for a dinosaur found in Portugal. Aviatyrannis jurassica was named and described in 2003 (Rauhut). It is estimated to have lived around 155 million years ago (Late Jurassic). Aviatyrannis was thought to represent a tyrannosauroid. However, analysis of the bones of Tyrannomimus with Aviatyrannis revealed similar characteristics. As such, Aviatyrannis may represent an ornithomimid too. If this is the case, then Aviatyrannis jurassica, may represent the earliest ornithomimosaur described to date.

If Aviatyrannis is confirmed to be a member of the Ornithomimosauria, then it significantly expands the temporal and biogeographic range of these theropod dinosaurs.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of the open-access scientific paper in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “New theropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Japan provides critical implications for the early evolution of ornithomimosaurs” by Soki Hattori, Masateru Shibata, Soichiro Kawabe, Takuya Imai, Hiroshi Nishi and Yoichi Azuma published in Scientific Reports.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

6 09, 2023

An Exclusive Papo Kronosaurus Video

By |2024-01-02T14:36:04+00:00September 6th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products, Everything Dinosaur videos, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

Everything Dinosaur has produced a short YouTube video review of the recently introduced Papo Kronosaurus marine reptile figure. In this brief video, team members take a detailed look at the Papo Kronosaurus and explain why this figure has a tail fin.

The Everything Dinosaur review of the recently introduced Papo Kronosaurus model. Video credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Video credit: Everything Dinosaur

Reviewing the Papo Kronosaurus

Our YouTube video lasts a little over three minutes. We wanted to give model collectors the opportunity to take a closer look at the Papo Kronosaurus replica. The official image released by Papo does not highlight the excellent quality of this model. Everything Dinosaur wanted to create a video and publish photographs to assist collectors with purchase decisions.

Papo Kronosaurus marine reptile model.
The Papo Kronosaurus marine reptile photographed in lateral view. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view the extensive range of Papo prehistoric animal figures and models in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Papo Prehistoric Animal Models.

Kronosaurus Markings and the Tail Fin

The video begins with the Kronosaurus model being introduced. Comments are made about the figure having a typical Papo appearance. The head and the teeth are examined in detail. The narrator moves on to discuss the flippers and the presence of skin parasites, probably barnacles on the marine reptile figure. This Kronosaurus model has a cloaca.

The video format (chapters):

00:00 – Papo Kronosaurus!
00:48 – Typically Papo!
01:00 – Head and Teeth.
01:22 – Kronosaurus Flippers.
01:51 – Cloaca Watch!
02:08 – Tail Fin Shape!
02:52 – Congratulations Papo.

A section of the Everything Dinosaur video is dedicated to explaining why the figure has been given a tail fin. Tail fins/flukes in the Plesiosauria remains a controversial area. There is some evidence within the fossil record. However, the Plesiosauria is such a diverse clade that there may have been many different shapes and sizes of tail appendage. Most palaeontologists agree, that if a tail fin or fluke was present on Kronosaurus, it probably did not play a huge role in locomotion. The tail fin or fluke would have probably helped to stabilise the predator as it manoeuvred.

Take a look at the YouTube channel of Everything Dinosaur: Everything Dinosaur on YouTube.

Congratulating Papo

The video concluded with the narrator praising the Papo prehistoric animal model range and congratulating the company for producing an excellent Kronosaurus.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

5 09, 2023

New Research into Miocene Ape Fossil from Turkey Challenges Human Origins

By |2024-01-02T14:33:11+00:00September 5th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Fossils of an ancient ape that lived in Turkey around 8.7 million years ago is challenging accepted ideas about human origins. The fossils include skull bones, jaws and teeth of both males and females. This new ape has been named Anadoluvius turkae. The material was excavated from the Çorakyerler fossil locality near Çankırı in northern Turkey, about 60 miles (100 km) northeast of the country’s capital, Ankara. Assigned to the subfamily Homininae, the genus name is from “Anadolu” the modern Turkish word for the Anatolia region.

The discovery of A. turkae lends support to the hypothesis that the Homininae first evolved in Europe before migrating to Africa 7–9 million years ago.

Anadoluvius turkae partial cranium.
A female Anadoluvius turkae partial cranium. From left to right, palatal, right lateral and anterior views. Picture credit: Sevim-Erol et al.

The subfamily Homininae consists of two tribes. The Hominini which includes modern humans and their extinct relatives along with the subtribe Panina which consists of bonobos and chimpanzees. In addition, there is the Gorillini tribe (gorillas).

Anadoluvius turkae

The researchers suggest that hominines (members of the Homininae tribe), not only evolved in western and central Europe but spent over five million years evolving there and spreading to the eastern Mediterranean. These apes eventually dispersed into Africa, probably as a result of a drying climate reducing the amount of forest habitat in the eastern Mediterranean.

The well-preserved fossils including an Anadoluvius cranium permitted the scientists to conduct a detailed analysis of character attributes in the fossil record. This new study supports the hypothesis that hominines originated in Europe and dispersed into Africa along with many other mammals between 9 and 7 million years ago (Tortonian stage of the Miocene Epoch).

Anadoluvius turkae was about the size of a modern chimpanzee. Anadoluvius probably weighed around 50-60 kilograms. It inhabited dry forested habitats and probably spent a lot of time on the ground rather than in the trees.

More Miocene Homininae Fossils

The researchers consisting of scientists from Ankara University, Pamukkale University and the Ege University Faculty of Science (Turkey), along with colleagues from the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre (Holland) and the University of Toronto (Canada) hope to find more fossils.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Further fossil discoveries will help to clarify the evolutionary origins of the Homininae. More fossils from Africa and Europe will help palaeontologists to outline the geographical distribution of our ancient ancestors.”

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of the Media Relations team at the University of Toronto (Canada) in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “A new ape from Türkiye and the radiation of late Miocene hominines” by Ayla Sevim-Erol, D. R. Begun, Ç. Sönmez Sözer, S. Mayda, L. W. van den Hoek Ostende, R. M. G. Martin and M. Cihat Alçiçek published in Communications Biology.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

4 09, 2023

New Research Suggests Rapid Neck Evolution in Plesiosaurs

By |2024-01-02T14:32:32+00:00September 4th, 2023|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Long necks in proportion to overall body length is known in many tetrapods. Giraffes and sauropods are typical examples. The evolution of a longer neck being linked to feeding strategies. A newly described ancestor of plesiosaurs named Chusaurus xiangensis suggests that neck elongation occurred rapidly in these types of marine reptiles. Lengthy necks, ideal for pursuing fast-moving nektonic prey such as fish and squid developed quickly over a five-million-year period approximately 250 million years ago.

Chusaurus xiangensis demonstrates rapid evolution of long necks in the Plesiosauria
The new described pachypleurosaurid sauropterygian, Chusaurus xiangensis indicates that increasing neck length rapidly evolved in the Plesiosauria. Picture credit: Qi-Ling Liu.

Picture credit: Qi-Ling Liu

Chusaurus xiangensis

Researchers have reported a new species of pachypleurosaurid sauropterygian from southern China. The new species shows key features of its Middle Triassic relatives, but has a relatively short neck, measuring 0.48 of the trunk length, compared to > 0.8 from the Middle Triassic onwards. Comparative phylogenetic analysis shows that neck elongation occurred rapidly in all Triassic eosauropterygian lineages. This evolution was probably driven by feeding pressure in a time of rapid re-establishment of new kinds of marine ecosystems.

The lengthy necks of marine reptiles, used for chasing fast-moving fishes, developed quickly over a five-million-year period around 250 million years ago.

Keichousaurus life reconstruction.
The best-known of all the pachypleurosaurs is Keichousaurus.

Adding More Vertebrae

The researchers conclude that pachycephalosaurs lengthened their necks mainly by adding new vertebrae.

The findings, published today in BMC Ecology and Evolution, and carried out by scientists in China and the UK, show that pachypleurosaur taxa lengthened their necks mainly by adding new vertebrae. One taxon, Keichousaurus had more than 20 cervical vertebrae, while some Late Cretaceous plesiosaurs such as Elasmosaurus had as many as 72. Its neck was five times the length of its trunk.

Elasmosaurus scale drawing
The Elasmosaurus scale drawing commissioned by Everything Dinosaur as the company’s fact sheet is updated. This plesiosaur had a neck five times the length of its trunk and more than seventy cervical vertebrae. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The illustration (above) was inspired by the recently introduced CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Elasmosaurus figure.

To view this range of prehistoric animal figures: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Prehistoric Life Models.

Pachypleurosaurs Like Chusaurus xiangensis Evolved in the Early Triassic

These reptiles originated in the Early Triassic, four million years after the end-Permian mass extinction that wiped out around 90% of Earth’s species. Ecosystems were undergoing dramatic changes in the aftermath of the extinction event.

The authors of the study, including scientists from the University of Bristol, studied the Chusaurus xiangensis fossils from Hubei Province (China). Its neck had begun to lengthen. However, it was less than half the length of its trunk, compared to later relatives that had a neck length to trunk ratio of greater than 0.8 (80%).

Two Fossil Skeletons to Study

Lead researcher Qi-Ling Liu from the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), commented:

“We were lucky enough to find two complete skeletons of this new beast. It’s small, less than half a metre long, but this was close to the ancestry of the important group of marine reptiles called Sauropterygia. Our new reptile, Chusaurus, is a pachycephalosaur, one of a group of small marine predators that were very important in the Triassic. I wasn’t sure at first whether it was a pachypleurosaur though because the neck seemed to be too short.”

Co-author Dr Li Tian (China University of Geosciences) added:

“The fossils come from the Nanzhang-Yuan’an Fauna of Hubei. This has been very heavily studied in recent years as one of the oldest assemblages of marine reptiles from the Triassic. We have good quality radiometric dates showing the fauna is dated at 248 million years ago.”

Fellow author Professor Michael Benton of the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences explained:

“The end-Permian mass extinction had been the biggest mass extinction of all time and only one in twenty species survived. The Early Triassic was a time of recovery and marine reptiles evolved very fast at that time, most of them predators on the shrimps, fishes and other sea creatures. They had originated right after the extinction, so we know their rates of change were extremely rapid in the new world after the crisis.”

Not All Vertebrates Evolve in the Same Way

Not all vertebrates evolve in the same way. When it comes to evolving a lengthy neck, giraffes have changed in a different way to pachypleurosaurs. Most mammals have seven neck vertebrae. Giraffes have seven neck bones too. Each one is extremely long, so these herbivores can browse on the tops of trees. Chusaurus had seventeen. Later pachycephalosaurs had twenty-five. Late Cretaceous plesiosaurs such as the huge Elasmosaurus had seventy-two. These long necks with numerous vertebrae are likely to have been extremely flexible. These marine reptiles could whip their necks round and grab a fish, whilst keeping their body steady.

Flamingos also have long necks so they can reach the water to feed. They have extra cervical vertebrae, up to twenty, but each one is also long.

Chusaurus xiangensis – Perfectly Adapted to its Environment

Dr Benjamin Moon, who also collaborated in this study stated:

“Our study shows that pachycephalosaurs doubled the lengths of their necks in five million years, and the rate of increase then slowed down. They had presumably reached some kind of perfect neck length for their mode of life.”

Dr Moon added:

“We think, as small predators, they were probably mainly feeding on shrimps and small fish, so their ability to sneak up on a small shoal, and then hover in the water, darting their head after the fast-swimming prey was a great survival tool. But there might have been additional costs in having a much longer neck, so it stabilised at a length just equal to the length of the trunk.”

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Bristol in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “Rapid neck elongation in Sauropterygia (Reptilia: Diapsida) revealed by a new basal pachypleurosaur from the Lower Triassic of China” by Qi-Ling Liu, Long Cheng, Thomas L. Stubbs, Benjamin C. Moon, Michael J. Benton, and Li Tian published in BMC Ecology and Evolution.

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

3 09, 2023

Oldest Bat Skeletons Ever Found

By |2023-09-08T07:26:58+01:00September 3rd, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Scientists have described a new species of prehistoric bat based on the oldest bat fossils ever discovered. The new bat species has been named Icaronycteris gunnelli and it flew in the skies above Wyoming approximately 52 million years ago.

The study describing these remarkable fossil finds was published earlier this summer in the academic journal PLOS One.

Icaronycteris gunnelli fossil (ROM)
Photograph of one of the two newly described bat skeletons representing Icaronycteris gunnelli. This specimen is in the research collections of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada. Picture credit: Royal Ontario Museum.

Icaronycteris gunnelli

The authors at the American Museum of Natural History (New York) in collaboration with the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in the Netherlands, hypothesise that bats diversified rapidly during the early Cenozoic.

There are more than 1,460 extant species of bats found in nearly every part of the world, with the exception of the polar regions and a few isolated islands. These fossils from the Green River Formation of Wyoming suggest that these mammals were geographically widespread by the early Eocene.

Bat fossils had been found in these strata over the last sixty years or so. However, they were all thought to represent the same two taxa. The two fossil bat taxa that have been described previously from the Green River Formation are Icaronycteris index (Jepsen, 1966) and Onychonycteris finneyi (Simmons et al, 2008).

Icaronycteris gunnelli fossil (AMNH)
A photograph of one of the two newly described bat skeletons representing Icaronycteris gunnelli. This specimen, the holotype, is now in the American Museum of Natural History’s research collections. Picture credit: Mick Ellison/AMNH.

Detailed Study

Scientists from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center started looking closely at Icaronycteris index by collecting measurements and other data from museum specimens. This more detailed study they suspected, would lead to new taxa being identified.

Although there are fossil bat teeth from Asia that are slightly older, the two I. gunnelli fossils represent the oldest bat skeletons ever found.

Arvid Aase, park manager and curator at the Fossil Butte National Monument, in Wyoming commented;

“The Fossil Lake deposits of the Green River Formation are simply amazing because the conditions that created the paper-thin limestone layers also preserved nearly everything that settled to the lake’s bottom. One of these bat specimens was found lower in the section than all other bats, making this species older than any of the other bat species recovered from this deposit.”

While the I. gunnelli skeletons are the oldest bat fossils from this site, they are not the most primitive, supporting the idea that Green River bats evolved separately from other Eocene bats around the world.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the American Museum of Natural History in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “The oldest known bat skeletons and their implications for Eocene chiropteran diversification” by Tim B. Rietbergen, Lars W. van den Hoek Ostende, Arvid Aase, Matthew F. Jones, Edward D. Medeiros and Nancy B. Simmons published in PLOS One.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

2 09, 2023

The Beautiful PNSO Dunkleosteus Model Reviewed

By |2024-01-02T14:32:14+00:00September 2nd, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Product Reviews|0 Comments

Our thanks to collector and prehistoric animal fan William who sent in a review of the PNSO Dunkleosteus model. The PNSO placoderm replica was introduced into the mid-size model range in late 2021. This model of a prehistoric fish has proved to be popular with collectors.

Zaha the Dunkleosteus (PNSO)
A stunning model of a placoderm – the PNSO Dunkleosteus model.

Collector Comments on the PNSO Dunkleosteus Model

William emailed Everything Dinosaur praising this prehistoric animal model.

He stated:

“Zaha is my first ancient marine predator. I decided to dip my toe into the prehistoric past “Zaha” sports the new updated shark like body with a beautiful rainbow trout colour. But what sold me on this beautiful model is the truly accurate articulated jaw.”

Terror of the Devonian

William explained that when viewed with the mouth closed, the armoured skull looks fantastic.

He added:

“If you carefully pinch the lower jaw the real magic happens. Once you draw it downwards to open this engages the jaw’s opening mechanism as in the real-life ancient apex predator.”

This fish was a terror of the Devonian. The jaw action of “Zaha” is described as “smooth” and the jaw when opened displays lots of detail. The reviewer comments that there might be several Dunkleosteus figures on the market, but the PNSO figure is the only one you need to add to your collection.

PNSO Zaha the Dunkleosteus has an articulated jaw
The PNSO Zaha the Dunkleosteus has an articulated jaw and armoured plates.

To view the range of PNSO prehistoric animal figures available from Everything Dinosaur: PNSO Prehistoric Animal Models.

Praise for Everything Dinosaur

William concluded his review of the PNSO Dunkleosteus model by praising Everything Dinosaur.

He thanked Everything Dinosaur on behalf of the legion of palaeo-figure collectors who valued what the UK-based company does. He commented that the extensive range of figures covered a wide price range. Price points for children as well as adult prehistoric animal model collectors.

Our thanks to William for his Dunkleosteus review and for his kind comments.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

1 09, 2023

Protathlitis cinctorrensis A New Spinosaurid

By |2023-09-03T11:01:32+01:00September 1st, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

A new species of spinosaurid named Protathlitis cinctorrensis has been described from fossils found in Castellón Province in north-eastern Spain. The dinosaur is estimated to have measured around ten to eleven metres in length. It has been described based on a right maxilla and five, sturdy tail bones (caudal vertebrae) excavated from the Lower Cretaceous Arcillas de Morella Formation. In addition, a previously described tooth has been assigned to this species.

The discovery of another European spinosaurid taxon adds weight to the hypothesis that these theropods originated in Laurasia. Later, during the Barremian-Aptian faunal stages, these dinosaurs migrated into Africa and Asia, where they diversified.

In Europe, the baryonchines dominated, whilst in Africa, it was the spinosaurines that were most abundant.

Protathlitis cinctorrensis on the beach.
Protathlitis cinctorrensis, near the coastal areas where it lived. Picture credit: Grup Guix.

Protathlitis cinctorrensis Honouring Villarreal C.F.

Writing in the academic journal “Scientific Reports” the researchers propose that this dinosaur is nested with the Spinosauridae family as a basal baryonychine. As such, it is the first baryonychine dinosaur species known from the Arcillas de Morella Formation.

The genus Protathlitis was named in reference to the UEFA Europa League title won by the Spanish football club Villarreal C.F. in 2021. It is also a tribute to the club centenary celebrated this year (2023).

Protathlitis cinctorrensis caudal vertebra excavation.
Palaeontologist Begoña Poza, co-author of the work, excavating fossil 5ANA-78, in the fifth digging campaign at the ANA site (Cinctorres, Castellón). Picture credit: Grup Guix.

Everything Dinosaur contacted one of the authors of the study, curious to find out more about the Villarreal C.F connection.

Andrés Santos-Cubedo explained that the dinosaur’s name celebrates the UEFA Europa League title.

He added:

“Because three of the scientists who wrote the paper, live in Villarreal, and one of us was at the final in Gdansk (Poland).”

The species name for this dinosaur, “cinctorrensis” is dedicated to Cinctorres and its inhabitants. This municipality is in the Els Ports region within the province of Castellón.

A Diverse Dinosaur Fauna

The discovery of P. cinctorrensis will help palaeontologists to better understand the evolutionary history of this enigmatic theropod group. In addition, it confirms that the Iberian Peninsula in the Early Cretaceous was home to a highly diverse dinosaur fauna. Dinosaurs described from this region include iguanodontids, titanosaurs, hypsilophodonts as well as a second spinosaurid – Vallibonavenatrix cani. V. cani is the first member of the spinosaurine subfamily to be described from fossils found in the Arcillas de Morella Formation.

Protathlitis cinctorrensis life restoration.
Recreation of the dinosaur Protathlitis cinctorrensis, located at the ANA site, Cinctorres (Castellón). Picture credit: Grup Guix.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release and personal correspondence with one of the authors of the study in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “A new spinosaurid dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous of Cinctorres (Spain)” by Andrés Santos-Cubedo and Carlos de Santisteban published in Scientific Reports.

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