Our thanks to young Caldey for sending into Everything Dinosaur a superb tyrannosaur illustration inspired by the theropod dinosaurs featured in the television series Prehistoric Planet II.

Following the pattern of the first season’s ground-breaking series, Prehistoric Planet II will be shown over five consecutive nights starting on May 22nd. It is being broadcast by Apple TV+. Season one covered Coasts, Deserts, Freshwater, Ice Worlds and Forests. The five programmes making up season two will feature Islands, Badlands, Swamps, Oceans and North America. Viewers can expect to see more prehistoric animals including pterosaurs, marine reptiles and of course dinosaurs. Perennial favourites return such as Velociraptor, Triceratops and tyrannosaurs, the subject of Caldey’s beautiful drawing.

Tyrannosaur Illustration

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur thanked Caldey for sending in her drawing of a fearsome tyrannosaur and commented;

“Series one was nominated for several awards including the Television Critics Association award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information. We expect series two to be equally successful, if not more so. Dinosaur fans young and old are looking forward to the start of the new series. Our thanks to Caldey for creating such a terrific tyrannosaur illustration.”

Narrated by Sir David Attenborough

All the programmes will be narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Season two will include a special segment on each programme providing an in-depth analysis of the palaeontology used as the basis for the episode. This new segment, entitled “Prehistoric Planet Uncovered”, will provide viewers with the opportunity to hear from the scientists who advised the production team.

Just like Caldey, we are looking forward to Prehistoric Planet II.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

Today, it is Mothering Sunday here in the UK. The fourth Sunday in Lent following the Christian calendar, a day dedicated to celebrating motherhood. Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the Northern Hemisphere spring months of March through to May.

Maiasaura

As we consider mums, maternal bonds and the contribution of mothers to society, our thoughts turn to the ornithischian dinosaur Maiasaura. Named and described in 1979 (Horner and Makela), this hadrosaurid dinosaur (Maiasaura peeblesorum) is synonymous with motherhood and maternal behaviours.

The first fossils of this dinosaur were discovered in the Badlands of Montana (USA), by a team of American scientists led by palaeontologist Jack Horner. The site the team uncovered consisted of a number of dinosaur nests, eggs, baby Maiasaura, juveniles and adults. The fossil site was renamed “Egg Mountain” and represents the fossilised remains of a Maiasaura colonial nesting area.

Happy Mother’s Day

Studies of Maiasaura provided unequivocal proof that dinosaurs raised their young and fed them at the nest (altricial behaviour). Maiasaura translates from the Greek meaning “Good Mother Lizard”, an appropriate epithet for a dinosaur that demonstrated that these reptiles, looked after their offspring.

The extensive fossil remains of this hadrosaur have enabled palaeontologists to undertake large scale studies of dinosaur ontogeny (growth rate studies). In addition, scientists have been able to determine the mortality rate of Maiasaura based on the Montana “Egg Mountain” fossils. A study of fifty Maiasaura peeblesorum tibia revealed that 90% of all Maiasaura hatchlings died within their first twelve months. If the dinosaurs survived into their second year, the mortality rate would fall to around 13%.

To view models and figures of ornithischian dinosaurs: Safari Ltd – Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models.

Maiasaura remains one of our favourite dinosaurs. Happy Mother’s Day from Everything Dinosaur.