Team members at Everything Dinosaur took advantage of the settled weather to take a photograph of the splendid Papo Green Styracosaurus model outdoors. This new colour variant of the Papo Styracosaurus model was added to the Papo “Les Dinosaures” range last year. It has proved popular with dinosaur model fans and collectors. Its popularity could be explained by its striking colouration or perhaps the excellence of the painting. It could be popular because of the detailed skin texture. Whatever the reason, the Papo green Styracosaurus has been a welcome addition to the Papo range for fans of horned dinosaurs.
The recently introduced (2022) Papo green Styracosaurus dinosaur model. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The Papo Green Styracosaurus
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that this ceratopsian figure had been introduced in the autumn of 2022. The original version (red Styracosaurus), was introduced in 2011. The original Styracosaurus figure has been retired and is out of production.
To view the range of Papo prehistoric animal figures in stock at Everything Dinosaur, including the rare, red Styracosaurus (whilst stocks last): Papo Prehistoric Animal Models.
The popular Bullyland ammonite model is to be retired according to sources at the German model and figure manufacturing company. Everything Dinosaur team members made enquiries with Bullyland in Germany earlier in the week and it has been confirmed that the ammonite model is going out of production.
The Bullyland ammonite model is often used in museum displays to depict the living animal next to fossil material. This Bullyland model is being retired and there are no plans in place to make any more replicas. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Bullyland Ammonite Model
The Bullyland ammonite model was included in the company’s latest product catalogue, but according to Everything Dinosaur’s sources the ammonite figure is to be withdrawn. Over the last few years, the number of models made by Bullyland has been reduced. The company has been focusing on producing figures under licence for organisations such as Disney and Pixar.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“Over the last 2-3 years the Bullyland range of prehistoric animals has been significantly reduced. A new Ichthyosaurus model was due to go into production in 2020, but this replica seems to have been postponed, possibly permanently.”
The spokesperson went onto state:
“As for the Bullyland ammonite model, its partner product, a belemnite, was retired about a decade ago. Whilst we will be sorry to see this figure go, there are now a number of ammonite and other prehistoric invertebrate models on the market, most notably within the CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular range.”
New CollectA arthropods and cephalopods.
The picture (above) shows some of the cephalopod and arthropod figures within the CollectA range. In 2022, the range was extended with the addition of the nautiloid Cooperoceras and this year, a model of Anomalocaris is being added.
All the reviews posted on the Everything Dinosaur website are genuine. They have come from real people who are customers. Genuine reviews are the only type of review that team members are interested in and willing to post up onto our website for visitors to read.
We have three main sources of review. Firstly, we receive reviews from Feefo, the independent customer ratings company. All the feedback, comments and reviews we receive are checked by Feefo to ensure that they come from real customers. In addition, we receive reviews on products and our customer service from shoppers. Purchasers send us product reviews and feedback, by visiting the review section on product pages and subsequently leaving a comment.
Thirdly, we receive Google reviews. These are made visible on the Google platform. Each review is from a real person, a customer of Everything Dinosaur. We also receive ratings on the Everything Dinosaur Facebook page.
Everything Dinosaur has won the prestigious Feefo Platinum Trusted Service award every year that it has been offered. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Sadly, there are many companies that do not take such an ethical approach. Testimonials and feedback do influence purchase behaviour. A person is more likely to buy a product or place an order with a website, if they see positive reviews.
There are individuals and companies quite prepared to provide fake reviews.
Everything Dinosaur received the following email:
“Hello,
Do you need stick and non drop GMBs, Trustpilot, sitejabber, facebook, resellerratings reviews?
We use real mobile IPs. Each review is made from a different IP address. We don’t use proxies,VPN.
All reviews are posted from aged and phone verified Google accounts. All reviews are posted based on the geo location of your business.
Looking for a positive response, Regards,
Thank You!”
Please Note
This is a genuine email, offering Everything Dinosaur reviews. We have not changed any of the grammar or corrected the spelling in this email.
Our Response
An email such as this, is deleted immediately. We have always been honest with our customers. Every review posted on our website, is absolutely genuine. Everything Dinosaur will never knowingly post up a fake review.
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to develop, we expect the profusion of fake reviews to grow. They will become increasingly difficult to spot. At Everything Dinosaur, we remain committed to providing our customers and site visitors with genuine comments and feedback from customers.
Genuine Reviews
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“Everything Dinosaur currently has over 360 5-star Feefo reviews. Our company has received over 250 5-star Google reviews. In addition, we have thousands of customer comments, product reviews and feedback posted up on our own website. Every single one of these is genuine. We would never knowingly post up fake reviews.”
The spokesperson explained that they were extremely grateful for all the reviews, comments and feedback the company received. Team members appreciated customers taking the time to provide feedback and reviews.
A Lund University student researching the cognitive abilities of animals was given a Rebor Oddities “Extinction” figure as a gift on completion of her PhD. Everything Dinosaur was contacted by an academic from The Cognitive Zoology Group at Lund University (Sweden), when the pair of limited-edition Rebor Oddities “Extinction” figures were first publicised. Associate Professor Mathias Osvath, wanted to gift a figure to his PhD students as they completed their doctorates.
Student Claudia of The Cognitive Zoology Group (Lund University) having successfully completed her PhD with her coveted Rebor Oddities “Extinction” Victorian neoclassical marble version figure. Picture credit: Associate Professor Mathias Osvath (Lund University).
Rebor Oddities “Extinction” Figure
Rebor produced two versions of their Oddities “Extinction” figure. Both figures are cast in elastic resin and polystone and feature a Velociraptor in contemplation holding a human skull in its right hand. The beautifully detailed dromaeosaurid is perched on a stack of twenty-three books, one book for each of our twenty-three pairs of chromosomes.
The books represent an eclectic range of publications. They are a combination of fiction and non-fiction and include titles such as The Divine Comedy, the Poems of Longfellow, Gray’s Anatomy and the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.
Such was the interest from academics and collectors that Everything Dinosaur compiled a list of the books featured on the models in an earlier blog post: The Rebor Extinction Library.
The Rebor Oddities Extinction models. Left the bronze effect version and the Victorian neoclassical marble (right). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Dinosaur Cognition
Cognitive studies of the Dinosauria constitute an intriguing area of scientific enquiry. Everything Dinosaur expects to see several papers on dinosaur cognition being published in the near future. We wish Claudia and the other successful PhD students every success as they pursue their careers.
When asked about the special dinosaur present, Associate Professor Osvath commented:
“The gift was a success! During the party people started to notice that more or less every book the dino is sitting on had titles on the back, or even front covers. It can only be seen when shining bright light from the sides and using magnifying glasses. It must have been educated people, with a sense of humour, who designed these figures.”
“Le Penseur”
There are two variants of the Rebor “Oddities” Extinction figure. The Victorian neoclassical marble version was despatched by Everything Dinosaur to Lund University but there is also the same figure in a Renaissance bronze finish.
The Rebor “Oddities” Extinction figures remind Everything Dinosaur’s team members of Auguste Rodin’s famous sculpture “The Thinker”, also known as “Le Penseur”.
To view the range of Rebor figures and replicas in stock at Everything Dinosaur including the extinction figures (whilst stocks last): Rebor Models and Replicas.
Everything Dinosaur team members have recorded the sixth batch of frogspawn in the office pond. The recent cold snap has ended and the wetter and milder weather may have encouraged more frogs to spawn. A sixth batch of frogspawn was observed early this morning. We suspect that it had been laid last night or in the early hours of the morning.
The sixth batch of frogspawn spotted in the office pond on March 12th 2023. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Common Frogs
At least one Common frog (Rana temporaria) is still in the pond. The frog has a bright white throat patch so, we suspect that this is a male. Team members will continue to monitor the pond to see if more frogspawn is laid. Frog numbers have declined in recent years. Five years ago, as many as a dozen frogs could be seen in the pond during the spawning season. Hopefully, our small pond will continue to support a frog population, attract other wildlife and provide a bathing area for nesting birds.
The fifth batch of frogspawn has been spotted in the office pond. The fresh spawn was spotted yesterday morning (8th March, 2023). Despite the wintry weather, with air temperatures dropping to near zero the frogs have continued to spawn. The night was cold and a small amount of ice formed over the pond. Team members will continue to monitor the office pond frogspawn.
The frogs (Common frogs), seem undeterred and have continued their spawning.
The 5th batch of frogspawn has been spotted in the Everything Dinosaur office pond. The frogspawn was laid on March 8th. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Frogspawn in the Office Pond
The first frogspawn was observed on the morning of the 28th of February. This is the earliest date in the year that we have seen frogspawn. Over the years, the date of the Common frogs (Rana temporaria) spawning has got earlier and earlier. A decade ago, frogspawn was normally observed around the third week of March. In 2022, frogs spawned on the 2nd of March. Our monitoring of the spawning dates suggests that the trend is for the frogs to breed earlier each year. Perhaps this is indicative of climate change and global warming.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur, took a break from packing dinosaur and prehistoric animal themed orders for customers and stated:
“We try not to disturb the pond too much. However, we like to monitor the frogs to make sure all is well. As cold weather is forecast for the next two to three days, we have gently and carefully moved the spawn into deeper water to give the eggs some protection from the forecast cold snap.”
Potentially Delayed Hatching
The unseasonably cold temperatures with widespread snow likely to fall across the north-west of England could delay the hatching of the eggs. Everything Dinosaur team members think that the rate of development of the tadpoles is influenced by the water temperature. The pond water is likely to remain very cold for at least the next few days. This cold weather may slow the rate of hatching.
Team members promise to keep observing and taking steps to make sure that the pond wildlife is safe.
Team members at Everything Dinosaur have prepared a Ruyangosaurus scale drawing for use in the company’s free Ruyangosaurus dinosaur model fact sheet. The new for 2023 CollectA Deluxe Ruyangosaurus figure is due into stock shortly and the fact sheet will be sent out with model purchases.
Ruyangosaurus was formally named and scientifically described in 2009 (Lü et al) in the Geological Bulletin of China. It is regarded as one of the largest Asian dinosaurs known to science. One species has been assigned to the genus (R. giganteus). Size estimates for this Early Cretaceous titanosaur vary, but it has been speculated that Ruyangosaurus was around thirty to thirty-five metres in length.
The new for early 2023 CollectA Deluxe Ruyangosaurus dinosaur model.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur explained that for virtually every named prehistoric animal that the company sells, a fact sheet is prepared. As new for 2023 CollectA models arrive, so fact sheets for Ruyangosaurus, Ceratosuchops, Brighstoneus, Anomalocaris and the marine reptile Shastasaurus have been prepared.
Everything Dinosaur can confirm that it will be stocking the PNSO Mungo the Meraxes dinosaur model. This figure is due in stock later this spring (2023). Mungo the Meraxes was announced earlier this week and whilst we expect the output from PNSO to slow down a little this year, the number of new figures the company has produced recently has been remarkable.
The carcharodontosaurid from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina Meraxes gigas. The PNSO model will be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in the spring (2023).
Meraxes gigas
Meraxes (M. gigas) was formally named and scientifically described in 2012 (Canale et al). It is a member of the Carcharodontosauridae family of theropods and at approximately 11 metres long and weighing 4 Tonnes (estimated 4.26 Tonnes), it was probably the apex predator in its Late Cretaceous environment. Another giant carcharodontosaurid Mapusaurus (M. roseae), is also known from the Huincul Formation of Argentina, but Meraxes fossil material is associated with geologically older strata.
The PNSO Mungo the Meraxes has an articulated lower jaw, and it will be supplied with a clear plastic support stand, a poster and a 64-page, illustrated colour booklet.
The Meraxes model will have an articulated lower jaw.
A Carcharodontosaurid Dinosaur Model
An almost complete right arm is known. The arm is proportionately quite small and suggests that as with the abelisaurids and the later tyrannosaurids reduced forelimb size is an evolutionary trait of the Carcharodontosaurinae.
The PNSO model shows the reduced forelimbs and the striking colouration chosen for the figure is reminiscent of the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Giganotosaurus model that was introduced some years previously.
Wild Safari Prehistoric World Giganotosaurus dinosaur model.
Skull material, (Meraxes gigas has one of the best-known craniums of all the Carcharodontosauridae), enabled palaeontologists to estimate the size of other Cretaceous theropods such as Acrocanthosaurus (A. atokensis) and Giganotosaurus carolinii.
The model is supplied with a transparent support base, a poster, a full-colour, 64-page booklet and a QR code on the box provides access to a video showing how the model was made.
Model Measurements
The PNSO Meraxes measures 30.2 cm in length with a head height of 10.4 cm. Although PNSO do not declare a scale for this figure, team members estimate that based on an 11-metre-long animal, the figure is in approximately 1:36 scale.
The Meraxes model measures 30.2 cm long and has a head height of 10.4 cm.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur confirmed that this figure along with the recently announced new version of the PNSO Lucas the Giganotosaurus model would be in stock in the late spring.
The spokesperson added:
“It is great to see PNSO expanding their theropod dinosaur model range.”
Everything Dinosaur team members were asked by a Radio Two researcher to provide the questions for the “midnight mastermind” slot on the OJ Borg early morning radio show when the subject the presenter was being quizzed upon was dinosaurs!
We were asked to propose six questions from which the researcher would select three to test the knowledge of their colleague.
Questions About Dinosaurs
The word “dinosaur” or to be technically correct the “Dinosauria” was first coined by a British scientist in the early 1840s – who was it?
It was anatomist and biologist Richard Owen, later Sir Richard Owen, a Lancastrian who had been given the task of making sense of the giant reptile fossils that had been found and studied over the preceding couple of decades. Richard Owen named and described several dinosaurs including the first long-necked dinosaur (sauropod) and he went onto help establish what we now know as the London Natural History Museum.
What does the term dinosaur actually mean?
Dinosaur is from the ancient Greek (deinos) which means “terrible” or “fearfully great” and from (sauros) which means lizard, so you have “terrible lizards” or “fearfully great lizards”. However, dinosaurs are not closely related to lizards.
The CollectA 1:40 scale Iguanodon and Mapusaurus dinosaur models. Dinosaurs “fearfully great lizards”.
The radio presenter did really well in a previous “midnight mastermind” in which listener Neil asked questions about the film “Predator”, so we thought it would be a good idea to set him question about a dinosaur which many people believe was the ultimate predator – Tyrannosaurus rex.
Tyrannosaurus rex is perhaps the most famous dinosaur of all, in what year was T. rex formally, scientifically described?
T. rex was first scientifically described back in 1905, by the American palaeontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn. The first T. rex bone was described in 1883 and this was referred to as Monospondylus gigas (giant, thin vertebrae), thankfully scientific convention was overruled and Tyrannosaurus rex became the accepted scientific name.
The Mesozoic
The non-avian dinosaurs died out around 66 million years ago (mya) during a mass extinction event that marked the end of the Mesozoic Era.
Dinosaur fossils are found in rock formations that were laid down during three geological time periods – one of these periods is called the Jurassic – hence the movie “Jurassic Park” but what are the names of the other two geological periods associated with the dinosaurs?
The two other geological time periods associated with the dinosaurs are the Triassic (251 mya – 201 mya) and the Cretaceous (145 mya – 66 mya). The first dinosaurs evolved in the Late Triassic perhaps as early as 235 million years ago. The non-avian dinosaurs became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous 66 mya.
What was the name of the first dinosaur to be scientifically described?
Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to be scientifically described. It was named in 1824 by an English clergyman and geologist William Buckland. The Reverend William Buckland went on to become Dean of Westminster Abbey. The Megalosaurus fossils that William Buckland studied can be seen today, on display at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Dinosaur Models and Prehistoric Animals
At our company Everything Dinosaur, we specialise in the sale of dinosaur and prehistoric animal scale models.
The world’s first life-size dinosaur models are still in existence, but where in the world would you have to travel to if you wanted to see them?
The first, life-size dinosaur sculptures in the world can be seen in Crystal Palace Park in the London Borough of Bromley. Originally commissioned as part of the Great Exhibition, the statues created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins under the guidance of Sir Richard Owen, went on public display in 1854. The statues have Grade I listed building status and the park is the world’s first dinosaur and prehistoric animal theme park, the original “Jurassic Park”.
Answers About Dinosaurs
The researcher selected the question about the first dinosaur to be scientifically described, the question about Tyrannosaurus rex and finally the question about the Crystal Palace dinosaurs.
The radio presenter scored zero out of three. Not to worry, not everyone is cut out to be a palaeontologist.
We have frogspawn in the office pond. This morning (February 28th, 2023), the first batch of frogspawn was spotted in the Everything Dinosaur office pond. The eggs had probably been laid just a few hours earlier in the very early morning. It had rained in the night and there was extensive cloud cover. The night had been chilly with temperatures around 4 degrees Celsius, what would normally be expected in our area at the end of February.
This is the first time that we have recorded frogspawn in February.
The first frogspawn has been laid in the office pond. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Frogspawn in February
We have not recorded frogspawn in the office pond being laid in February before. Last year, we recorded the first frogspawn on March 2nd, this was the earliest we had recorded spawn, until a new record for early spawning was set this year.
Over the last few years, Everything Dinosaur team members have noted the date of the first frogspawn being laid. The trend is for the frogs (Rana temporaria) to spawn earlier each year. Is this caused by the impact of global climate change?
Earliest recorded spawning dates for Common frogs in the office pond:
February 28th 2023
March 2nd 2022
March 11th 2021
March 20th 2020
March 22nd 2019
March 17th 2018
March 11th 2017
March 20th 2016
March 12th 2015
Other dates when we have recorded the first frogspawn in a year:
March 19th 2013, March 11th 2012, March 18th 2011 and the first ever frogspawn in the office pond was laid on March 16th 2008.
