We have spotted our first froglet of 2022 from our office pond. Team members at Everything Dinosaur had been looking out for the first frogs to complete their metamorphosis and we have been taking care not to disturb the pond area, although it does need some tender care and a good clean out.
A photograph of a froglet from the office pond. It is a common frog (Rana temporaria). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The picture (above), shows the tiny amphibian (Rana temporaria), clinging to the wall of our pond. It has already had probably, its longest journey of its life. We removed a pot plant choked with Elodea weed and drove a few miles to another location where we could safely plant the pond weed. Whilst inspecting the large hopper we used to transport the plants to the new site, we spotted the froglet. We made sure that it was returned to the pond where it was hatched. Hopefully, this frog will hang around the office pond, and perhaps it will return to it in a few years to spawn.
Readers of “Prehistoric Times” magazine have voted the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Spinosaurus model as the best dinosaur toy figure of 2021. Safari Ltd have won this prestigious accolade on several occasions, the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Spinosaurus dinosaur model joins the roll of honour.
The figure represents the largest theropod dinosaur known to science – Spinosaurus aegyptiacus.
The 2021 Wild Safari Prehistoric World Spinosaurus dinosaur model. It has been awarded the best dinosaur toy figure of 2021 by readers of “Prehistoric Times” magazine.
To view the range of Safari Ltd prehistoric animal figures in stock at Everything Dinosaur including several award-winning models: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models.
A Popular Spinosaurus Figure
The Spinosaurus replica measures around 22 cm in length and it was one of three dinosaur models (excluding armoured prehistoric animal figures), introduced last year by Safari Ltd. The Spinosaurus replica arrived at Everything Dinosaur’s UK warehouse in the spring of 2021 along with the new for 2021 Safari Ltd Daspletosaurus. The other dinosaur figure introduced by the Safari Ltd team was an updated version of Baryonyx, a dinosaur which was also a member of the Spinosauridae.
Commenting on the award of the best dinosaur toy figure of 2021, a spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“The readers of the magazine are very knowledgeable and discerning. The Spinosaurus figure was up against some very tough competition and to win this award is a wonderful affirmation of the dedication and hard work of the Safari Ltd design team.”
Safari Ltd have introduced a variety of Spinosaurus replicas since the company started making dinosaur models back in the late 1980s. Team members at Everything Dinosaur believe that the first Spinosaurus replica to be made by Safari Ltd was introduced in 1992 as part of the now retired Carnegie Collectibles model range.
Everything Dinosaur is switching to more environmentally friendly bubble wrap as part of the company’s continuing commitment to more sustainable working practices. The UK-based company has already committed to using 100% recycled cardboard for its product packaging and fully compostable potato starch chips. The bubble wrap used to help protect prehistoric animal models and other items sent out in the post, will now consist of a minimum of 30% recycled material.
Bubble packaging being used by Everything Dinosaur contains a minimum of 30% recycled material. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“We are committed to lowering our carbon footprint, minimising waste and to reducing our impact on the planet. As part of our environmental policy, we have been able to source bubble wrap that uses at least 30% recycled material. We are doing our best to cut down on the use of plastics in our business, but when plastic packaging can’t be avoided, we are using more environmentally friendly packaging.”
Increased Packaging Costs Not Being Passed onto Customers
The new air-pocket-based packaging material is more expensive than standard bubble wrap. It offers the same level of protection but rather than use cheaper materials Everything Dinosaur is committed to taking measures to help minimise single use plastics and protect the environment.
The considerable extra costs for sourcing this new packaging material are not being passed onto customers.
The new bubble wrap being used by Everything Dinosaur contains a minimum 30% of recycled content. Everything Dinosaur working hard to ensure that the company is environmentally responsible. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Reducing Waste – Increasing Recycling
The company has introduced numerous measures to reduce waste. Virtually all the wastepaper and cardboard are recycled and Everything Dinosaur has entered into an agreement with a local print company to return wooden pallets, so they can be used over and over again.
The spokesperson added:
“Whilst our cost base has increased as a result of the steps we have undertaken, we believe that this is the right thing to do. We have even introduced electricity and water saving measures. The non-avian dinosaurs might be extinct and we need to ensure that our own species does not go the same way.”
To view the range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal themed toys and gifts available from Everything Dinosaur: Visit Everything Dinosaur.
Twenty years ago, references to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event confidently stated that this occurred around 65 million years ago, the date of the extinction of the Dinosauria et al seems to have been pushed back to a million years earlier. When did this change in chronology happen?
Sixty-five Million Years or Sixty-six Million Years?
Team members at Everything Dinosaur have been reviewing the huge inventory of blog posts that have been built up over the last fifteen years or so. It has been noted that the extinction of the dinosaurs, pterosaurs and a large portion of other types of life on Earth at the end of the Cretaceous in the numerous early blog articles that reference this event, is estimated to have occurred around sixty-five million years ago. In later articles, the date given is approximately sixty-six million years ago.
In 2013, Everything Dinosaur reported upon the work of an international team of scientists that had calculated the most accurate date for the extraterrestrial impact that created the Chicxulub crater. Researchers from the Berkeley Geochronology Centre (University of California), in co-operation with colleagues from Glasgow University and Vrije University (Amsterdam, Holland), have concluded that a meteorite, asteroid or possibly even an object such as a comet collided with the Earth approximately 66.038 million years ago (plus or minus 11,000 years).
Everything Dinosaur is an award-winning and highly respected supplier of prehistoric animal models and toys. To view the extensive range of dinosaur models and other replicas available: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models and Figures.
Could this scientific paper have marked the point in time, when the point in time marking the end of the non-avian dinosaurs was changed in popular culture?
The Everything Dinosaur blog consists of over 6,000 posts. The articles, features and news stories on the blog provide a valuable resource for teachers, academics and dinosaur fans. First started back in late May 2007, team members have built up an extensive library of dinosaur and prehistoric animal themed posts. The site, like all websites, needs to be occasionally modified and updated to help maintain and improve the customer experience. Over the next few weeks, the Everything Dinosaur blog will be undergoing some maintenance.
The Everything Dinosaur blog is undergoing routine maintenance and new updates are being added. These changes are being made to improve the efficiency and function of the site.
An Enormous Weblog
A review of each and every article posted on the blog is being undertaken. This is an immense amount of work, as there are thousands of articles and millions of words on the site. This maintenance work has been structured to ensure that visitors can access the blog posts with the minimum of disruption. Viewers will not notice the work going on, but behind the scenes our trained Velociraptors will be working hard to ensure that the weblog is in tip-top condition.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“We understand that our blog is very important to people, we will continue to post up articles and features whilst this work is going on. It will be business as usual for all the blog site visitors, but in the background we will be implementing changes to ensure our site is secure and provides the very best customer visitor experience. Around 3% of the site has been reviewed and checked over so far, but we intend to make rapid progress over the next few days.”
One of the first blog posts published by Everything Dinosaur fifteen years ago featured a model of Dodo that we had sourced for a customer. Team members still trace prehistoric animal models and figures requested by customers. Our commitment to customer service continues to be maintained.
The spokesperson for Everything Dinosaur commented that by the end of this year, team members would have posted up another 150 articles on the Everything Dinosaur blog and that the landmark of 7,000 blog posts was expected to be reached by the middle of 2025.
The new for 2022 CollectA prehistoric animal models are now in stock at Everything Dinosaur. Team members have been busy contacting all those customers that requested that they be informed when the CollectA prehistoric animal model delivery arrived.
The new for 2022 CollectA prehistoric animals have arrived at Everything Dinosaur. Team members have been busy contacting all those customers who requested an email alert. There are seven figures in the photograph, can you name them all?
New Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, a Prehistoric Mammal, a Nautiloid and ?
The new figures include dinosaurs, two pterosaurs (the 1:15 scale P. longiceps figure having been held over from 2021), a stunning nautiloid and an updated Paraceratherium replica. In addition, a model of the enigmatic Late Triassic predator Smok (S. wawelski) is also in stock. This Polish carnivore is classified as an archosaur, but its exact taxonomic placement remains ambiguous.
The new for 2022 CollectA Deluxe Smok wawelski replica reflects the view that this large Late Triassic predator was not a theropod dinosaur. Classified as a member of the Archosauria, its exact taxonomy remains unknown. Fossil bones reveal anatomical characteristics associated with the Dinosauria (Theropoda), but also show traits that indicate an affinity to the Pseudosuchia – the crocodile lineage of archosaurs. To further confuse the taxonomy of this carnivore, analysis of the fossil bones also identified features associated with very primitive archosaurs.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“We have been looking forward to getting these new CollectA prehistoric animal figures into our warehouse. The shipment contained over a hundred different types of models including fresh stock of the award-winning Doedicurus and the 1:15 scale Pteranodon longiceps figure that we were unable to bring into the UK last year. We know that many collectors have been patiently waiting for these figures, now their wait is over.”
The front of the CollectA Prehistoric Life Deluxe Pteranodon longiceps model. This figure is now in stock at Everything Dinosaur.
New PNSO models, the Torosaurus pair, Fergus the Acrocanthosaurus and Xinchuan the Sinraptor all feature in the latest Everything Dinosaur customer newsletter. In addition, fresh stocks of the PNSO Olorotitan, Tsintaosaurus and Harvey the Iguanodon have arrived, and these ornithischians also feature in the latest customer newsletter.
The Torosaurus adult and juvenile pair (Aubrey and Dabei) are featured in Everything Dinosaur’s latest customer newsletter.
Torosaurus Pair and a Pair of Theropod Dinosaurs
The new for 2022 Torosaurus adult and juvenile (Aubrey and Dabei) have arrived in stock. A pair of Torosaurus dinosaur models in 1:35 scale complete with posters and a full-colour information booklet.
Two new PNSO theropods also feature, namely Xinchuan the Sinraptor and the eagerly awaited Fergus the Acrocanthosaurus dinosaur model.
Two theropod dinosaurs, the PNSO Xinchuan the Sinraptor and Fergus the Acrocanthosaurus dinosaur models feature in Everything Dinosaur’s latest customer newsletter.
PNSO Dinosaurs
Not to be outdone, there are some plant-eating dinosaurs too showcased amongst the theropod duo. The Everything Dinosaur newsletter also features the 1:35 scale PNSO Xiaoqin the Tsintaosaurus which comes complete with full-colour booklet and posters. The newsletter also highlights Harvey the Iguanodon, another splendid plant-eating dinosaur model in 1/35th scale.
The stunning PNSO Xiaoqin the Tsintaosaurus and the amazing PNSO Harvey the Iguanodon are back in stock at Everything Dinosaur. Both these members of the Ornithischia feature in Everything Dinosaur’s latest customer newsletter.
Olorotitan and Celebrating Everything Dinosaur’s Blog
The latest issue of the newsletter also features the return into stock of the greatly admired PNSO Ivan the Olorotitan model. This plant-eating dinosaur figure was introduced in late 2021, it has been a top-seller ever since. The PNSO Ivan the Olorotitan is a beautifully detailed scale model.
The PNSO Ivan the Olorotitan is back in stock, and we celebrate posting up our 6,000th blog article.
The newsletter also included a short section on Everything Dinosaur’s free to access blog. The company recently celebrated posting up their 6,000th blog post. For the last fifteen years a new post has been uploaded every day! The Everything Dinosaur blog contains news about dinosaurs, the latest research, articles about model collecting, updates on fossil finds and lots and lots of helpful information and dinosaur facts.
The Everything Dinosaur newsletter is sent out periodically to subscribers, it contains updates on new products, competitions, exclusive information and support.
On July 7th (2022), a new scientific paper providing a review of the Early Cretaceous Eotyrannus lengi was published. Everything Dinosaur helped to fund the publication of this research. The authors, Dr Darren Naish (School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Southampton) and Andrea Cau (Parma, Italy) concluded that E. lengi was a valid tyrannosauroid taxon from the Barremian Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight.
In order to make a new study into the dinosaur Eotyrannus open access, so that everyone could view this research, the authors set up a GoFundMe campaign. Everything Dinosaur helped to fund this study. We are happy to support this excellent paper and we are helping to make such studies possible. Your purchases from Everything Dinosaur genuinely help science.
Team members at Everything Dinosaur were happy to assist with funding a newly published paper on the early tyrannosauroid Eotyrannus lengi.
The publication costs of this manuscript were supported by a successful gofundme campaign (July 2018). The fund target was reached in less than 24-hours and Everything Dinosaur was happy to make a substantial contribution to ensure that this research could be published allowing free access.
Our congratulations to all the other funders, who helped make this possible.
We hope to produce an article on this excellent scientific paper in the very near future, after all, it sheds light on an amazing dinosaur dominated ecosystem. The researchers conclude that Eotyrannus was a mid-size predator with much larger megalosauroid or allosauroid apex predators present. There were certainly many different types of theropod in the environment including carcharodontosaurian allosauroids, baryonychine spinosaurids as well as probable compsognathids and members of the Maniraptora.
Two new species of spinosaurids described from the Isle of Wight Ceratosuchops inferodios (foreground) challenges a Riparovenator milnerae (background) over the carcase of an iguanodont. Picture credit: Anthony Hutchings
The scientific paper: “The osteology and affinities of Eotyrannus lengi, a tyrannosauroid theropod from the Wealden Supergroup of southern England” by Darren Naish and Andrea Cau published in PeerJ.
PNSO have announced that their next dinosaur model will be a sauropod. The PNSO Chuanchuan the Lingwulong dinosaur model will be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in just a few weeks.
Chuanchuan the Lingwulong. This exciting new for 2022 dinosaur model is a replica of a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China.
PNSO Chuanchuan the Lingwulong
Named and described in 2018 (Xu et al), from numerous fossils representing several individuals collected from Yanan Formation deposits in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China, Lingwulong (L. shenqi), is the earliest known diplodocoid sauropod. Its discovery suggests that the Sauropoda dispersed and diversified much earlier than palaeontologists had previously thought. Lingwulong demonstrates that diplodocoids were present in eastern Asia and it is wonderful to see PNSO adding a model of such a significant Chinese dinosaur to their model range.
The PNSO Chuanchuan the Lingwulong model measures around 47.5 cm in length and has a head height of 13.5 cm. PNSO have not declared a scale for this dinosaur model, but this dinosaur is thought to have reached lengths in excess of 17 metres, perhaps as much as 20 metres. Based on these measurements, team members at Everything Dinosaur propose a scale of around 1:36 to 1:42.
The PNSO Chuanchuan the Lingwulong model measurements.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“We have known about Chuanchuan the Lingwulong dinosaur model for some time. It is already on the water and heading into the UK on our next shipment of PNSO models and figures. We are looking forward to receiving this sauropod figure, one of the largest models that PNSO have made for some time.”
PNSO Chuanchuan the Lingwulong in lateral view. This sauropod model is one of the largest figures that PNSO intend to produce this year (2022).
Posters and Full-colour Booklet
Continuing the trend to add value to the figures that the company produces, Chuanchuan the Lingwulong will be supplied with a sci-art poster inspired by the work of the famous Chinese artist Zhao Chuang and a 64-page, full-colour booklet. A QR code, which once scanned, provides access to a short video that explains how the figure was created.
Posters and booklet for the PNSO Chuanchuan the Lingwulong dinosaur model.
The PNSO Chuanchuan the Lingwulong dinosaur model is expected in stock at Everything Dinosaur in a few weeks. To view the current range of PNSO dinosaur and prehistoric animal models in stock at Everything Dinosaur: PNSO Age of Dinosaurs Models and Figures.
A reviewer of dinosaur models praises Everything Dinosaur for their customer service and quality of products.
As part of two recent PNSO dinosaur reviews sent into Everything Dinosaur by model collector William. The reviewer praised Everything Dinosaur commenting that without Everything Dinosaur there would not be great model collections.
Everything Dinosaur is a Trusted Service Awards winner! A model reviewer praises the award-winning Everything Dinosaur.
Dinosaur Fan Praises Everything Dinosaur
William emailed Everything Dinosaur and commented that for the legion of palaeo-figure collectors Everything Dinosaur is truly valued for all it does for model collectors and dinosaur fans especially during a challenging global pandemic.
He wrote:
“From searching the leading brands to all the tireless efforts to get the stock from suppliers to your warehouse to the front doors of customers. They offer a very good range for children as well as catering for the adult collector.”
Everything Dinosaur’s certificate confirming the Platinum Trusted Service Award.The company is praised by a model collector and dinosaur fan.
Everything Dinosaur on YouTube, Blogs and Social Media Platforms
William added that he appreciated the time and effort that team members put in to making YouTube videos, as well as blogging about the latest dinosaur discoveries and new fossil finds.
When commenting on the delivery of orders, he added:
“The level and quality of packaging and the dedication to deliveries byyour company is what the big guys of the web and the high street should be aspiring to. Parcels are well protected, strong and secure with clear address labelling and the models are protected with plenty of bubble wrap.”
A Great Range of Delivery Options
The customer commented that Everything Dinosaur offers a great range of delivery options all of them are fairly priced, with many parcels being delivered within 24-hours.
Our work in helping to educate the next generation of palaeontologists was also praised and William commented: “Who knows, one day we could see a new Mikeceratops or a Sueposeidonsaurus all due to your primary school visits.”
Our thanks to William for his most generous and kind words.
