Our thanks to Dominic a young and very knowledgeable dinosaur fan who along with his family visited Everything Dinosaur and presented us with a super dinosaur illustration.  Dominic decided to give us his Koleken dinosaur drawing.  We had met Dominic back in the late spring at a film premiere that Everything Dinosaur had sponsored (Why Dinosaurs?).  He impressed us with his fantastic dinosaur knowledge, so much so that he knew more about a recently described dinosaur (Koleken inakayali), than anyone else at the event.

Dominic’s mum explained that he had been working on a drawing of this new dinosaur and, as it was his birthday, he wanted to come and present us with his Koleken dinosaur drawing. It is a wonderful piece of prehistoric art, and we really appreciate the great care and attention to detail shown by this young artist. We were thrilled to receive Dominic’s drawing and we plan to display it prominently at our offices.

Mike from Everything Dinosaur holding the Koleken dinosaur drawing presented to team members by Dominic and his family. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Koleken Dinosaur Drawing

Koleken (K. inakayali) was formally described earlier this year (Pol et al). it is an abelisaurid and it shared its Late Cretaceous environment with the much bigger, related Carnotaurus (C. sastrei). The fossil material is associated with the La Colonia Formation of Chubut Province (Argentina). The discovery of Koleken inakayali reinforces the view that abelisaurids were the dominant predatory dinosaurs in Gondwana during the Maastrichtian faunal stage of the Cretaceous.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s recent blog post about Koleken inakayali: A New Abelisaurid from Southern Argentina.

The Koleken is feeding on a saltasauroid titanosaur.  We suspect that this is a representation of Titanomachya.  Titanomachya (T. gimenezi) is also associated with the Colonia Formation. This dinosaur was also described this year (Pérez-Moreno et al). It was relatively small for a titanosaur. Titanomachya is thought to have measured around six metres in length. Fragmentary remains of another titanosaur have been found in the same area. As yet, these fossils have not been scientifically described or formally studied.

The dinosaur drawing from Dominic. A Koleken feasts on a saltasauroid titanosaur (Titanomachya). Picture credit: Dominic.

Picture credit: Dominic

Mike from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We are honoured to receive this artwork, from a gifted illustrator. It is lovely to see the passion and creativity of dinosaur fans, young and old, come to life through art.”

Helping to Inspire the Next Generation of Palaeoartists

Team members hope that Dominic’s inspiring illustration will encourage more young artists. The company remains committed to fostering the next generation of palaeontologists, palaeontology enthusiasts, and dinosaur fans like Dominic.

At Everything Dinosaur, our team is dedicated to nurturing the passions of young aspiring palaeontologists and palaeoartists.  We believe that encouraging creativity is key to inspiring the next generation of scientific pioneers. Through educational resources, hands-on activities, and personalised feedback, we strive to provide a supportive environment.  An environment in which young dinosaur fans can explore their interests and cultivate the skills needed to turn their dreams of becoming a palaeontologist into reality.

The award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys and Gifts.