The new for 2024 Schleich Moros intrepidus model is in stock at Everything Dinosaur. Schleich have given their Moros figure two digits on each hand, do you think this is correct? The manus of this tyrannosauroid is unknown. No fossils of hand bones or fingers have been found, as far as we at Everything Dinosaur are aware. Did this distant relative of Tyrannosaurus rex have two fingers on each hand?
We will post up a brief video on our social media pages asking this question shortly.
Did Moros intrepidus have two digits on each hand or three? What do you think? Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Moros intrepidus – Two Digits on the Hand or Three?
This small tyrannosauroid lived around thirty million years before T. rex evolved. When it was described (Zanno et al, 2019), the illustration that accompanied the media notes showed this dinosaur with two digits per hand.
Moros intrepidus from the Late Cretaceous of central Utah.
Earlier tyrannosauroids had three digits on each hand. So, the question is how many digits on each hand did Moros have? In Everything Dinosaur’s short video, we ask our fans, followers and customers for their views.
The new for 2024 Schleich Moros intrepidus figure.
To view the range of Schleich dinosaur and prehistoric animal figures available from Everything Dinosaur: Schleich Prehistoric Animal Models.
Knowledgeable Customers
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that their customers were very knowledgeable and well-informed. The spokesperson added:
“Our customers and social media followers know a lot about prehistoric animals. We look forward to receiving their views and comments about the digits of Moros intrepidus.”
The new Haolonggood Dilophosaurus dinosaur models will be in stock soon. A shipment with both sets of Dilophosaurus figures should arrive in the UK in early January. We hope to have these Haolonggood dinosaur models in stock later that month.
The pair of Dilophosaurus models (sitting and standing) in the blue colouration.
The sets will consist of a pair of Dilophosaurus figures. One will be sitting, the other will be standing. Two colour schemes will be offered – red and blue.
The pair are in 1:35 scale and they are beautifully painted.
The pair of Dilophosaurus models (sitting and standing) in the red colouration.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur confirmed that the next shipment of Haolonggood figures will contain the following figures:
Dacentrurus – Xuning.
Dacentrurus – Lingzhen.
Otodus megalodon (Li Jun).
Carnotaurus – Li Zhong.
Carnotaurus – Zhou Tong.
Daspletosaurus torosus – Wu Song.
Daspletosaurus torosus – Lu Zhi Sheng.
Ampelosaurus – Sun Er Niang.
Ampelosaurus – Zhang Qing.
Dilophosaurus – Wang Ying/Hu San Niang.
Dilophosaurus – Sun Xin/Gu Da Sao.
Megaraptor – Shi Qian.
Megaraptor – Duan Jing Zhu.
Baryonyx – Shan Ting.
Baryonyx – Wei Ding Guo.
Visit the award-winning and user-friendly Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.
Haolonggood intend to manufacture three versions of a 1:35 scale Alamosaurus. They are not sure how many to make of each version, so they have asked Everything Dinosaur to highlight this offer and make enquiries. The three versions, A and B plus C, a limited-edition, plain version will be available in the early spring of 2024. The Haolonggood Alamosaurus offer is open until December 28th (2023). If customers reserve a figure before 28th December, the Alamosaurus will be supplied with base and pterosaur figure.
Haolonggood Alamosaurus Version A
Haolonggood Alamosaurus model. Version A colour scheme.
To help customers select which figure(s) they want, Haolonggood have supplied computer generated images of the proposed colour schemes.
Haolonggood Alamosaurus Version B
Haolonggood Alamosaurus model version B.
The third Alamosaurus model is the limited-edition, plain version (version C).
Haolonggood Alamosaurus Version C (Limited-edition, Plain)
The limited-edition, plain version of the Haolonggood Alamosaurus model.
To reserve your model, simple contact Everything Dinosaur and let them know which model (A, B or C) you would like.
If booked before 28th December (2023), the Alamosaurus scale figure will be supplied with a base and one of two special pterosaur models.
If ordered before the cut-off date of December 28th (2023), the model will be supplied with a base and one of two white pterosaur figures.
Haolonggood Alamosaurus Model Measurements
The actual model measurements have yet to be finalised. However, each PVC figure will weigh several kilos and the proposed product packaging suggests that the 1:35 scale Alamosaurus will stand about 35 cm tall and measure around 65 cm in length.
Haolonggood supplied box dimensions: 65 cm (25.6 inches) long, width 14 cm (5.5 inches) and height 36 cm (14.1 inches).
Showing the size of the Haolonggood Alamosaurus figures.
There has been some confusion over these figures and the product offering. We can confirm that all three models are currently available. Version C will only be available for a limited time (it is a limited-edition model). It is painted in a brown colour scheme. The base and detachable tree plus the unpainted pterosaur figure (there are two pterosaur model versions), are only available for orders placed before December 28th.
It is only the pterosaur models that will require painting.
The stunning Rebor Tyrannosaurus rex “Kiss” Mountain figure is back in stock at Everything Dinosaur. Team members have been able to bring in more stock of this popular tyrannosaur in time for the festive season.
The Rebor Kiss T. rex figure (Mountain), this tyrannosaur model has been given lips. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
The Rebor Tyrannosaurus rex has been beautifully painted, and the figure has been given lips. The debate about lips in the Dinosauria is on-going. Many palaeontologists believe that dinosaurs did indeed have lips.
To read an article from earlier this year (2023) about lips in the Tyrannosauridae: Tyrannosaurus rex Had Lips.
The spectacular Rebor Tyrannosaurus rex “Kiss” in the mountain colour variant measures approximately 40.5 cm long and that magnificent head stands around 14 cm high. The model is in an approximate scale of 1:35.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“It is wonderful to see this popular Rebor figure back in stock. We have been busy contacting customers who wanted to be notified when this replica arrived. The Tyrannosaurus rex figure has an articulated jaw, poseable arms and a flexible tail. It is a clever piece of dinosaur design.”
Many prehistoric animal models are photographed in lateral view. Everything Dinosaur explains the differences between right and left lateral views. It can be a little confusing for model collectors when photographs of a new prehistoric animal figure are released. Often the images include lateral views, these are images of the figure seen from the side.
The new for 2023 PNSO Megalosaurus dinosaur model. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The image (above) shows a view of the recently introduced PNSO Edward the Megalosaurus dinosaur model. The left side of the model can be seen. This photograph shows the left lateral view of the figure. That is, in a left lateral view the object faces to the left as you look at the image.
Determining whether a prehistoric animal figure is in left lateral or right lateral view is made easier if the whole of the model is shown in the image.
Left lateral view – the head of the figure faces to the left as you look at the image.
Right lateral view – the head of the figure faces to the right as you look at the image.
The Papo Kronosaurus marine reptile photographed in right lateral view. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
In the image (above) the recently introduced Papo Kronosaurus model is facing to the right. Therefore, this model is being shown in the right lateral view.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“Our blog often features details of scientific papers. Some of them can be quite technical and we try to summarise the findings and provide simplified explanations for the general reader. Interpreting scientific drawings can be a challenge. It can also be difficult to understand the details shown on a photograph of a prehistoric animal model if the orientation is not known.”
The partial skull of the lizard shown in right lateral view. Picture credit: David Whiteside, Sophie Chambi-Trowell, Mike Benton and the Natural History Museum UK
The photograph (above) shows the skull of the stem lizard Cryptovaranoides microlanius in right lateral view. Computerised tomography (CT) was used to help the researchers to construct the left side of the skull of C. microlanius. This enabled the team to construct a left lateral view of the skull.
Although left lateral and right lateral are terms that are not often used in scientific disciplines, it is helpful to have an understanding of their meaning. It is important to have standard anatomical terms and scientific papers have been published that examine the use of such terms when describing fossils.
The next time you see a photograph of a prehistoric animal model, we hope our short explanation will help you to understand whether the view is left or right lateral.
It is another hectic day at Everything Dinosaur. Team members have been busy picking and packing orders for customers. However, there was time to take a quick photograph of three Horseshoe crab soft toys. These cute and cuddly invertebrates will soon be on their way to customers.
The horseshoe crab soft toys look quite happy at the prospect of leaving our warehouse.
A trio of horseshoe crab soft toys photographed in the Everything Dinosaur warehouse. These cute and cuddly animals will soon be on their way to customers. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Prehistoric Plush
Everything Dinosaur stocks a wide range of dinosaur soft toys and prehistoric plush. We have T. rex soft toys, Triceratops and even Woolly Mammoths. We also like to stock some of the more unusual soft toys. Horseshoe crabs are still around today, but they first evolved nearly five hundred million years ago.
Our Horseshoe crab soft toys represent “living fossils”. However, these marine animals are under threat. Habitat destruction that accompanies coastal development presents a danger and the animals are used as bait in the fishing industry. Their unusual metabolism and their blue-coloured blood has been extensively studied. The blood has clotting agents (amebocytes), which are of great benefit to medical science.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that they thought the horseshoe crabs were cute and cuddly.
The spokesperson added:
“These are beautiful soft toys and very unusual. The horseshoe crab soft toys looked like they were smiling at us as they awaited their turn to be packed. We took a quick photograph before returning to our packing duties.”
Visit the award-winning and user-friendly Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.
Everything Dinosaur receives lots of five-star feedback from customers. Today, we highlight some five-star Feefo feedback sent by a customer in Germany. The UK-based mail order company has thousands of customers in Europe. Everything Dinosaur has developed an excellent reputation for customer service.
Five-star feedback from a customer in Germany. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Five-star Feefo Feedback from All Over the World
Over the last thirty days (November 7th 2023 – December 7th 2023), Everything Dinosaur has received a total of twenty-seven Feefo customer service reviews. All of these rate our customer service as five-star. Over this same period, we have also received sixty product reviews all of them rating our models and figures as excellent.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“It is wonderful to receive feedback from all over the world. We have many customers in Europe, and we welcome their comments and views.”
The German-speaking customer commented:
“Sehr guter Service, rasche Lieferung, schöne Figuren, besonders aus der neuen Serie (Halonggood).”
This translates as:
“Very good service, fast delivery, beautiful figures, especially from the new series (Haolonggood).”
A total of nineteen different Haolonggood dinosaur models were in the first shipment of figures from China. Ten different genera of dinosaur are represented. These models have received praise from many customers. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
On November 7th, 1924, the American Museum of Natural History published a short, scientific paper written by Henry Fairfield Osborn which described three types of new theropod dinosaur based on fossils from the Djadochta Formation (Gobi Desert). The first theropod documented was Velociraptor mongoliensis. Its description being based on a skull and jaws (specimen number A. M. 6515) along with additional material including the scythe-like second toe claw, although in the paper this was misidentified, it was thought the claw came from a first finger of the hand.
A close-up view of the detailed wing. In the 1924 scientific paper describing V. mongoliensis, the second toe claw was thought to have come from a finger. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Osborn surmised that these fossils represented an “alert, swift-moving carnivorous dinosaur”, hence the genus name Velociraptor which translates as “swift thief” or “speedy robber”. At the time Velociraptor was thought to be a diminutive member of the Megalosauridae. Over the last hundred years, more than a dozen Velociraptor mongoliensis skeletons have been found. As our understanding of theropod taxonomy has developed, these types of dinosaur, the swift lizards, the dromaeosaurs are now known to be very distantly related to the megalosaur family.
The skull was found on August 11th, 1923, by expedition member Peter Kaisen. Ironically, it was found lying alongside the skull of a Protoceratops (Protoceratops andrewsi) and indeed, ever since, these two dinosaurs Protoceratops andrewsi and Velociraptor mongoliensis have been linked together as predator and prey. Perhaps most spectacularly in the remarkable “fighting dinosaurs” specimen that preserves a Velociraptor and Protoceratops locked in mortal combat.
A skeleton of a Protoceratops on display. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The New CollectA Deluxe Velociraptor (2024 Release)
Whilst the new for 2024 CollectA Deluxe 1:6 scale Velociraptor does not show signs of an encounter with a Protoceratops, it does reflect Osborn’s original view of this being an “alert, swift-moving carnivorous dinosaur”. In addition, the figure reflects some of the very latest research into members of the Maniraptora. In 2023, researchers from the University of Tokyo applied a statistical analysis on forelimb structure that demonstrated that dinosaurs like Velociraptor had a propatagium (pronounced pro-pah-ta-gee-um). This is a soft tissue structure that joins the wrists and the shoulders. This structure is seen in living, volant birds. It helps with the wing flapping motion and provides a leading edge to the wing. Without this structure, birds could not fly.
Velociraptor could not fly, so why did it have a propatagium? This has been the subject of much debate amongst palaeontologists. Perhaps it had a role in visual display. Perhaps it acted as an additional stabiliser as the animal turned swiftly, or maybe it demonstrated fitness for breeding. It has been suggested that an enlarged surface area of the forelimb would have been beneficial in helping to shade eggs or perhaps it played some other role in the brooding process.
CollectA Deluxe Velociraptor model.
Whatever the reason or reasons for the propatagium, it is great to see CollectA have incorporated some of the very latest research into their commemorative Velociraptor figure.
Everything Dinosaur has commissioned a CollectA Diprotodon drawing. The illustration of the largest marsupial known to science is to be used in a Diprotodon fact sheet. The fact sheet will be available from Everything Dinosaur with sales of the new for 2024 CollectA Deluxe Diprotodon model.
The recently commissioned CollectA Diprotodon drawing for use in an Everything Dinosaur Diprotodon fact sheet. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
CollectA Diprotodon Drawing
The illustration will be modified, and a human figure added for scale. This drawing will then provide fact sheet readers with a visual size guide for this herbivore. The CollectA Deluxe Diprotodon is a male, and the illustration will reflect this. Males were much larger than females, perhaps reaching a length of four metres or more. The shoulder height of a fully grown male Diprotodon was around 1.8 metres.
The CollectA Diprotodon model will be available from Everything Dinosaur in 2024.
CollectA Diprotodon has a torn ear. It is likely big males fought each other for mating rates, territory and social status.
The CollectA Diprotodon figure will have a torn ear. An injury sustained most probably in a fight with another male. However, our Diprotodon illustration shows this powerful marsupial with its left ear restored.
Educating and Informing
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that fact sheets were sent out with most of the models the company supplies as these fact sheets help to inform customers about prehistoric animals and palaeontology.
The spokesperson added:
“The fact sheet will be researched and written in plenty of time for the arrival of the CollectA Deluxe Diprotodon. We expect the Diprotodon model to be available around the middle of next year.”
As Everything Dinosaur prepares for the arrival of the new Schleich prehistoric animal figures, we have been busy preparing fact sheets. One of our jobs was to create a Moros intrepidus scale drawing. The Schleich Moros model represents the first time we have had this tyrannosauroid in our range. We commissioned an illustration based on the image sent out with the original Moros intrepidus media release. A human figure was added to provide a scale for this three-metre-long theropod.
The recently commissioned Moros intrepidus illustration has been incorporated into a scale drawing for use in the next Everything Dinosaur fact sheet to be prepared. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
A Moros intrepidus Scale Drawing
For every named prehistoric animal figure that we sell, we try to research and write a fact sheet. Our fact sheets have been well received by customers. Requests are received each week as collectors try to complete their collections. Moros intrepidus was formally named and described in 2019. At around three metres long and with it standing about 1.2 metres high at the hips, it was no giant. However, it was a distantly related forerunner of the giant tyrannosaurs that were to dominate Late Cretaceous ecosystems of North America. It lived some thirty million years before Tyrannosaurus rex.
Schleich are going to introduce six new dinosaur figures in early 2024. Some of these new models will be coming into stock at Everything Dinosaur next month (December 2023). One of these figures is a replica of Moros intrepidus, hence the need to compile a fact sheet.
The new for 2024 Schleich Moros intrepidus figure.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“We try to write a fact sheet for all the prehistoric animal models and figures we stock. As Moros is one of several new Schleich figures, we needed to create a Moros intrepidus scale drawing and fact sheet. We intend to send out the fact sheet with sales of the Schleich Moros model.”
For further information about the extensive range stocked by Everything Dinosaur, visit the company’s website: Everything Dinosaur.
