All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.

Pictures of fossils, fossil hunting trips, fossil sites and photographs relating to fossil hunting and fossil finds.

4 09, 2023

New Research Suggests Rapid Neck Evolution in Plesiosaurs

By |2024-01-02T14:32:32+00:00September 4th, 2023|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Long necks in proportion to overall body length is known in many tetrapods. Giraffes and sauropods are typical examples. The evolution of a longer neck being linked to feeding strategies. A newly described ancestor of plesiosaurs named Chusaurus xiangensis suggests that neck elongation occurred rapidly in these types of marine reptiles. Lengthy necks, ideal for pursuing fast-moving nektonic prey such as fish and squid developed quickly over a five-million-year period approximately 250 million years ago.

Chusaurus xiangensis demonstrates rapid evolution of long necks in the Plesiosauria
The new described pachypleurosaurid sauropterygian, Chusaurus xiangensis indicates that increasing neck length rapidly evolved in the Plesiosauria. Picture credit: Qi-Ling Liu.

Picture credit: Qi-Ling Liu

Chusaurus xiangensis

Researchers have reported a new species of pachypleurosaurid sauropterygian from southern China. The new species shows key features of its Middle Triassic relatives, but has a relatively short neck, measuring 0.48 of the trunk length, compared to > 0.8 from the Middle Triassic onwards. Comparative phylogenetic analysis shows that neck elongation occurred rapidly in all Triassic eosauropterygian lineages. This evolution was probably driven by feeding pressure in a time of rapid re-establishment of new kinds of marine ecosystems.

The lengthy necks of marine reptiles, used for chasing fast-moving fishes, developed quickly over a five-million-year period around 250 million years ago.

Keichousaurus life reconstruction.
The best-known of all the pachypleurosaurs is Keichousaurus.

Adding More Vertebrae

The researchers conclude that pachycephalosaurs lengthened their necks mainly by adding new vertebrae.

The findings, published today in BMC Ecology and Evolution, and carried out by scientists in China and the UK, show that pachypleurosaur taxa lengthened their necks mainly by adding new vertebrae. One taxon, Keichousaurus had more than 20 cervical vertebrae, while some Late Cretaceous plesiosaurs such as Elasmosaurus had as many as 72. Its neck was five times the length of its trunk.

Elasmosaurus scale drawing
The Elasmosaurus scale drawing commissioned by Everything Dinosaur as the company’s fact sheet is updated. This plesiosaur had a neck five times the length of its trunk and more than seventy cervical vertebrae. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The illustration (above) was inspired by the recently introduced CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Elasmosaurus figure.

To view this range of prehistoric animal figures: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Prehistoric Life Models.

Pachypleurosaurs Like Chusaurus xiangensis Evolved in the Early Triassic

These reptiles originated in the Early Triassic, four million years after the end-Permian mass extinction that wiped out around 90% of Earth’s species. Ecosystems were undergoing dramatic changes in the aftermath of the extinction event.

The authors of the study, including scientists from the University of Bristol, studied the Chusaurus xiangensis fossils from Hubei Province (China). Its neck had begun to lengthen. However, it was less than half the length of its trunk, compared to later relatives that had a neck length to trunk ratio of greater than 0.8 (80%).

Two Fossil Skeletons to Study

Lead researcher Qi-Ling Liu from the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), commented:

“We were lucky enough to find two complete skeletons of this new beast. It’s small, less than half a metre long, but this was close to the ancestry of the important group of marine reptiles called Sauropterygia. Our new reptile, Chusaurus, is a pachycephalosaur, one of a group of small marine predators that were very important in the Triassic. I wasn’t sure at first whether it was a pachypleurosaur though because the neck seemed to be too short.”

Co-author Dr Li Tian (China University of Geosciences) added:

“The fossils come from the Nanzhang-Yuan’an Fauna of Hubei. This has been very heavily studied in recent years as one of the oldest assemblages of marine reptiles from the Triassic. We have good quality radiometric dates showing the fauna is dated at 248 million years ago.”

Fellow author Professor Michael Benton of the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences explained:

“The end-Permian mass extinction had been the biggest mass extinction of all time and only one in twenty species survived. The Early Triassic was a time of recovery and marine reptiles evolved very fast at that time, most of them predators on the shrimps, fishes and other sea creatures. They had originated right after the extinction, so we know their rates of change were extremely rapid in the new world after the crisis.”

Not All Vertebrates Evolve in the Same Way

Not all vertebrates evolve in the same way. When it comes to evolving a lengthy neck, giraffes have changed in a different way to pachypleurosaurs. Most mammals have seven neck vertebrae. Giraffes have seven neck bones too. Each one is extremely long, so these herbivores can browse on the tops of trees. Chusaurus had seventeen. Later pachycephalosaurs had twenty-five. Late Cretaceous plesiosaurs such as the huge Elasmosaurus had seventy-two. These long necks with numerous vertebrae are likely to have been extremely flexible. These marine reptiles could whip their necks round and grab a fish, whilst keeping their body steady.

Flamingos also have long necks so they can reach the water to feed. They have extra cervical vertebrae, up to twenty, but each one is also long.

Chusaurus xiangensis – Perfectly Adapted to its Environment

Dr Benjamin Moon, who also collaborated in this study stated:

“Our study shows that pachycephalosaurs doubled the lengths of their necks in five million years, and the rate of increase then slowed down. They had presumably reached some kind of perfect neck length for their mode of life.”

Dr Moon added:

“We think, as small predators, they were probably mainly feeding on shrimps and small fish, so their ability to sneak up on a small shoal, and then hover in the water, darting their head after the fast-swimming prey was a great survival tool. But there might have been additional costs in having a much longer neck, so it stabilised at a length just equal to the length of the trunk.”

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Bristol in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “Rapid neck elongation in Sauropterygia (Reptilia: Diapsida) revealed by a new basal pachypleurosaur from the Lower Triassic of China” by Qi-Ling Liu, Long Cheng, Thomas L. Stubbs, Benjamin C. Moon, Michael J. Benton, and Li Tian published in BMC Ecology and Evolution.

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

3 09, 2023

Oldest Bat Skeletons Ever Found

By |2023-09-08T07:26:58+01:00September 3rd, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Scientists have described a new species of prehistoric bat based on the oldest bat fossils ever discovered. The new bat species has been named Icaronycteris gunnelli and it flew in the skies above Wyoming approximately 52 million years ago.

The study describing these remarkable fossil finds was published earlier this summer in the academic journal PLOS One.

Icaronycteris gunnelli fossil (ROM)
Photograph of one of the two newly described bat skeletons representing Icaronycteris gunnelli. This specimen is in the research collections of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada. Picture credit: Royal Ontario Museum.

Icaronycteris gunnelli

The authors at the American Museum of Natural History (New York) in collaboration with the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in the Netherlands, hypothesise that bats diversified rapidly during the early Cenozoic.

There are more than 1,460 extant species of bats found in nearly every part of the world, with the exception of the polar regions and a few isolated islands. These fossils from the Green River Formation of Wyoming suggest that these mammals were geographically widespread by the early Eocene.

Bat fossils had been found in these strata over the last sixty years or so. However, they were all thought to represent the same two taxa. The two fossil bat taxa that have been described previously from the Green River Formation are Icaronycteris index (Jepsen, 1966) and Onychonycteris finneyi (Simmons et al, 2008).

Icaronycteris gunnelli fossil (AMNH)
A photograph of one of the two newly described bat skeletons representing Icaronycteris gunnelli. This specimen, the holotype, is now in the American Museum of Natural History’s research collections. Picture credit: Mick Ellison/AMNH.

Detailed Study

Scientists from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center started looking closely at Icaronycteris index by collecting measurements and other data from museum specimens. This more detailed study they suspected, would lead to new taxa being identified.

Although there are fossil bat teeth from Asia that are slightly older, the two I. gunnelli fossils represent the oldest bat skeletons ever found.

Arvid Aase, park manager and curator at the Fossil Butte National Monument, in Wyoming commented;

“The Fossil Lake deposits of the Green River Formation are simply amazing because the conditions that created the paper-thin limestone layers also preserved nearly everything that settled to the lake’s bottom. One of these bat specimens was found lower in the section than all other bats, making this species older than any of the other bat species recovered from this deposit.”

While the I. gunnelli skeletons are the oldest bat fossils from this site, they are not the most primitive, supporting the idea that Green River bats evolved separately from other Eocene bats around the world.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the American Museum of Natural History in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “The oldest known bat skeletons and their implications for Eocene chiropteran diversification” by Tim B. Rietbergen, Lars W. van den Hoek Ostende, Arvid Aase, Matthew F. Jones, Edward D. Medeiros and Nancy B. Simmons published in PLOS One.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

23 08, 2023

Two New Abelisaurs from North Africa

By |2023-08-23T21:22:00+01:00August 23rd, 2023|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Two new abelisaurs have been described from fragmentary fossils from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of the Ouled Abdoun Basin, in northern Morocco. There were at least three, coeval abelisaurid taxa present in Morocco during the Late Cretaceous. Scientists report a growing body of evidence to suggest that dinosaurs were highly diverse in North Africa prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.

Although the two new abelisaurids have yet to be formally described, the fossils associated with them are thought to represent mature animals and they demonstrate enough autapomorphies for researchers to be confident that they represent new genera.

Writing in the academic journal “Cretaceous Research”, the researchers conclude that these different-sized carnivores co-existed. The break-up of the super-continents led to the establishment of dinosaur dominated regional biotas. The Late Cretaceous dinosaur fauna of North Africa remains relatively unknown in comparison to North America and Asia. The discovery of these fossils indicates that there were several species of predatory dinosaur present in North Africa. The presence of so many predators suggests that dinosaurs were still thriving in Africa immediately prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event.

Life reconstruction of Late Cretaceous abelisaurs from Morocco.
A life reconstruction of Late Cretaceous Moroccan abelisaurids. Two medium-sized abelisaurs representing the Sidi Chennane abelisaur fossil specimen are confronted by the giant Chenanisaurus barbaricus. A smaller abelisaur representing the Sidi Daoui specimen looks on. Picture credit: Andrey Atuchin.

Picture credit: Andrey Atuchin

Two New Abelisaurs Described from Fragmentary Fossils

The fossils come from the phosphate mines of the Ouled Abdoun Basin. These strata were deposited in a shallow marine environment along the eastern margin of the Atlantic Ocean. One genus, found near the town of Sidi Daoui, is represented by a foot bone (metatarsal) from an abelisaurid about two and a half metres long.

Views of the abelisaurid metatarsal bone from Morocco.
Sidi Daoui abelisaur metatarsal fossil bone shown in several views. Picture credit: University of Bath.

Picture credit: University of Bath

Metatarsal Fossil Shows Unusual Characteristics

The metatarsal shows strong mediolateral compression, a feature present in noasaurids and some early abelisaurids, but absent in most Late Cretaceous abelisaurids. It is distinct from other abelisauroids in the strong constriction and bowing of the shaft in lateral view, and the medial curvature of the bone in anterior view. Bone texture suggests it comes from a mature individual. The small size, gracile proportions and unusual shape of the metatarsal suggest it is not closely related to other latest Cretaceous abelisaurids.

The other fossil specimen, comes from nearby Sidi Chennane. It is a partial right tibia (shin bone) of a theropod estimated to be around five metres in length.

The partial abelisaurid tibia from Morocco.
The partial tibia from the Sidi Chennane abelisaur. Picture credit: University of Bath.

Picture credit: University of Bath

Lead author of the study, Dr Nick Longrich, from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, commented:

“What’s surprising here is that these are marine beds. It’s a shallow, tropical sea full of plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, and sharks. It’s not exactly a place you’d expect to find a lot of dinosaurs. But we’re finding them.”

Revealing a Diverse Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Fauna

Dinosaur fossils from these strata are rare. However, the small number of dinosaur fossils that have been recovered represent five different species – a small hadrosaur named Ajnabia odysseus and a long-necked and as yet unnamed titanosaur. Theropods are represented by the giant abelisaurid Chenanisaurus (C. barbaricus), and the two new abelisaurs.

Two new abelisaurs described from Morocco.
A scale drawing showing known members of the Maastrichtian dinosaur fauna associated with the Ouled Abdoun Basin, in northern Morocco. Picture credit: University of Bath.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s blog post about the discovery of Ajnabia: The First Hadrosaurid From Africa.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s article from 2017 about the discovery of Chenanisaurus barbaricus: The Last Dinosaur from Africa.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Bath in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “New fossils of Abelisauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the upper Maastrichtian of Morocco, North Africa” by Nicholas R. Longrich, Erik Isasmendi, Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola and Nour-Eddine Jalil published in Cretaceous Research.

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

18 08, 2023

Tracking Trilobites – Stunning Trilobite Images

By |2023-12-08T15:33:56+00:00August 18th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Educational Activities, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

A fossilised trilobite track has been recreated for an exhibit highlighting Palaeozoic life. The trace fossil with an accompanying trilobite model can be seen at the Liverpool World Museum.

Trilobite track
A model of a trilobite track reconstructed for a museum display. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Trilobite Fossils

Trilobite fossils are ubiquitous. Tens of thousands of specimens can be viewed in museums and museum collections. However, trilobite trace fossils are rare. The Liverpool World Museum exhibit depicts a trilobite walking across the sea floor. A distinctive set of parallel tracks are shown. Trace fossils preserve evidence of the activity of an organism. Most trace fossils provide direct “in situ” evidence of the environment of the prehistoric creature that produced the trace.

A selection of trilobite fossils.
A selection of our trilobite fossils from Wales. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Commenting Upon the Trilobite Track

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“The track exhibit provides an opportunity for museum staff to recreate the environment in which some types of trilobite lived. Whilst some trilobites may have been active swimmers (nektonic), others were happy to wander along the sea floor, searching for food. The trace fossil exhibit also gives visitors the opportunity to view models of various trilobites.”

CollectA trilobite model.
Everything Dinosaur team members have prepared some images of CollectA invertebrate models including the CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular trilobite model (Redlichia rex). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The model shown above is a replica of Redlichia rex a large trilobite known from Cambrian strata. The R. rex figure is part of the invertebrate series produced by CollectA.

To view this range: CollectA Prehistoric Life Figures and Models.

Calymene trilobites on display.
A selection of Calymene trilobite fossils on display. Some of the specimens show that these trilobites could roll into a ball to protect themselves. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Trilobite Body Fossils

Fossils are used by scientists to identify the relative age of rock strata. Rocks can be correlated through the examination of the fossils that they contain. Trilobites are important zonal fossils. The trilobite fossils shown (above), are from the Silurian (Wenlock Group, Shropshire). They represent examples of the Calymene genus. Some of the specimens are rolled up into a ball, presumably a defensive behaviour.

The spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur added:

“A trilobite fossil might be one of the first fossils that a young person is given as a gift. It can ignite a passion for nature within them and lead to a lifetime of fossil collecting and learning about prehistoric animals.”

View the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

8 08, 2023

Patagotitan Arm Bones – An Exclusive Look

By |2024-01-02T14:59:03+00:00August 8th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

The enormous Patagotitan arm bones are on display at the London Natural History Museum. These immense fossils are part of the “Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur” exhibition. This popular exhibition is open until January 2024. Team members at Everything Dinosaur have been fortunate to have visited the museum earlier in the year. This helped them to avoid the inevitable congestion at the peak of the summer tourist season.

Patagotitan arm bones.
The fossilised bones from the right arm of Patagotitan in approximate anatomical position. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Patagotitan Arm Bones

The display shows the right arm bones of Patagotitan in approximate anatomical position. The enormous scapula leads to the immense humerus with the ulna (left) and the radius (right) directly underneath it. The exhibition organisers have provided a helpful information panel to explain the layout of the arm bones.

The location of the Patagotitan arm bones within the dinosaur's skeleton.
A diagram showing the position of the fossilised bones on the skeleton of Patagotitan. The position of the scapula, the humerus and the lower arm bones (ulna and radius). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website for models and replicas of titanosaurs and other prehistoric creatures: Everything Dinosaur.

Patagotitan mayorum

Patagotitan was formally named and scientifically described in 2017 (Carballido et al). However, the huge fossil bones had attracted considerable media interest since the discovery of a giant portion of thigh bone in 2010. Numerous news reports occurred in 2014 and in January 2016 the BBC broadcast a special programme that tracked the fossil excavation and preservation. The programme was presented by Sir David Attenborough, and it was entitled “Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur”.

In 2022, Safari Ltd added a replica of Patagotitan to their product range.

Patagotitan model in stock.
The Wild Safari Prehistoric World Patagotitan model has arrived at Everything Dinosaur. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Several other titanosaur models have been introduced since the naming of Patagotitan. With the interest in titanosaurs fuelled by the giant arm bones on display, collectors can expect more titanosaur figures to be introduced.”

To view the Safari Ltd dinosaur model range: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models and Figures.

5 08, 2023

A Beautiful Baryonyx Fossil Jaw

By |2024-01-02T14:59:21+00:00August 5th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Team members at Everything Dinosaur took the opportunity to photograph a cast of a Baryonyx fossil jaw on display at the London Natural History Museum. The cast is a replica of the original specimen number BMNH R9951. The holotype material was re-catalogued as NHMUK VP R9951. The British Museum was renamed the Natural History Museum in 1992. The fossils represent one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons found in the UK.

Baryonyx fossil jaw.
A cast showing the premaxilla and maxilla of Baryonyx based on the fossil specimen number BMNH R9951. The holotype fossil material was later re-catalogued as NHMUK VP R9951. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Fossils of this famous theropod dinosaur were excavated from a clay pit near Ockley in Surrey in 1983. The field team was led by palaeontologists from the British Museum (Natural History Museum). There is a cast of the Baryonyx skeleton on display in the dinosaur gallery at the museum.

Baryonyx walkeri

Named and formally described in 1986, Baryonyx changed perceptions regarding spinosaurids. The scientific paper was published in “Nature”. It was entitled “Baryonyx, a remarkable new theropod dinosaur”. The authors of the paper were Alan Charig and Angela Milner. Both palaeontologists had distinguished careers. Alan Charig helped to popularise the science of vertebrate palaeontology when he wrote and presented the BBC television series “Before the Ark”. However, it is probably for their work on Baryonyx walkeri that they will be best remembered.

The Mojo Fun Baryonyx model.
Taking its turn on the Everything Dinosaur turntable. The new for 2020 Mojo Fun Baryonyx with an articulated jaw. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture (above) shows a typical Baryonyx dinosaur model. The figure is from the Mojo Fun Prehistoric and Extinct collection.

To view this model range: Mojo Fun Prehistoric and Extinct Model Range.

The Baryonyx Fossil Jaw

The Baryonyx fossil jaw cast shows the premaxilla and the anterior portion of the maxilla. The holotype specimen includes a significant amount of skull and jaw material including both dentaries. Thanks to the skull and jaw fossils, scientists were able to reconstruct the skull of other spinosaurids such as Spinosaurus aegyptiacus.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented.

“When we visit the London Natural History Museum, we like to view the Baryonyx exhibit. The fossils helped improve our understanding regarding theropod dinosaurs. The Baryonyx material representing about 65% of the entire skeleton still represents one of the most complete large theropod skeletons found in Europe.”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

3 08, 2023

Ancient Whale is Possibly the Heaviest Animal

By |2023-08-06T07:41:31+01:00August 3rd, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

An enormous prehistoric whale named Perucetus colossus might be the heaviest vertebrate to have ever lived. Previously, the heaviest animal known to science was the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). These whales can weigh up to 190 tonnes. The newly described P. colossus is estimated to have weighed between 85 and 340 tonnes. Researchers writing in the academic journal “Nature” postulate that this animal pushes extreme size in cetaceans to a much earlier phase in their evolutionary development.

Perucetus colossus life reconstruction.
Reconstruction of Perucetus colossus in its coastal habitat. Estimated body length: 20 meters. Picture credit: Alberto Gennari.

Perucetus colossus

Fossils of this leviathan were discovered in the desert on the southern coast of Peru. Palaeontologist Mario Urbina spent decades painstakingly looking for fossils. In 2010, he made an exceptional discovery. Other field team members were puzzled when photographs of the unusual objects jutting out of the 39-million-year-old sediments were examined.

The site of the giant, ancient whale fossils (Perucetus colossus).
Location of the Perucetus colossus fossil discovery (Ica Province, southern Peru). Picture credit: Giovanni Bianucci.

These huge and odd-shaped objects were vertebrae from an immense skeleton. Each bone weighed over a hundred kilograms and four ribs found in association with the thirteen vertebrae measured approximately 1.4 metres in length. Several expeditions had to be organised to excavate and remove the colossal fossils from the remote location.

Field team members.
Part of the excavation team at the Perucetus dig site. Individuals on the picture, from left to right: Olivier Lambert, Walter Aguirre, Alberto Collareta, Walter Landini, Klaas Post, Giovanni Bianucci & Mario Urbina (bottom). Picture credit: Giovanni Bianucci.

A New Species of Basilosaurid Whale

The remarkable fossils are now part of the vertebrate collection housed at the Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor San Marcos in Peru. Perucetus has been assigned to Basilosauridae family. These whales were the earliest cetaceans to fully transition to an aquatic lifestyle. Basilosaurids are known from the early Eocene to the late Eocene and were geographically widespread.

Perhaps the most famous of all these ancient whales is Basilosaurus. It was an apex predator and some species could have reached lengths of twenty metres or so, approximately the same length as Perucetus colossus, but Basilosaurus was much lighter.

CollectA Basilosaurus illustration.
The CollectA Basilosaurus model. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture above depicts a Basilosaurus. Fossils indicate that Basilosaurus was much more slender and serpent-like when compared to the newly described Perucetus. The drawing is based on the CollectA Basilosaurus replica.

To view the not-to-scale CollectA model range: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Models.

The World’s Heaviest Animal

No other known basilosaurid had such massive bones. An international team of scientists including Olivier Lambert, a palaeontologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences surface-scanned the preserved bones to measure their volume. Cores were taken from one dorsal vertebra and a rib to permit an assessment of bone density and structure. Comparisons with extant whales and other extinct basilosaurids were then made.

Palaeontologist Olivier Lambert
Palaeontologist and whale evolution expert Olivier Lambert (RBINS) in front of two ancient whales in the Gallery of Evolution of the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels. Picture credit: Thierry Hubin.

The twenty-metre-long skeleton of the Perucetus was estimated to be two to three times heavier than the blue whale skeleton called Hope exhibited in the Hintze Hall of the London Natural History Museum. To reconstruct the body mass of Perucetus, the authors used the ratio of soft tissue to skeleton mass known in living marine mammals. With estimates ranging from 85 to 340 tonnes, the mass of Perucetus colossus falls in or exceeds the distribution of the blue whale.

Scale drawing and skeleton reconstruction of Perucetus colossus.
Preserved bones of the new whale species. Picture credit: Giovanni Bianucci, Marco Merella, Rebecca Bennion.

Adapted to a Shallow Water Marine Environment

The scientists postulate that Perucetus was adapted to a shallow water marine environment. The tremendous weight of this cetacean, perhaps as heavy as fifty African elephants, was partly due to modifications observed in the fossil bones. The outer portions of the bones were packed out with additional bone mass, giving them a bloated appearance (pachyostosis). The internal cavities were filled with compact bone (osteosclerosis). These two anatomical traits increased the weight of the skeleton.

Skeletal mass versus body mass.
Skeletal mass versus body mass. A range of total body mass and skeletal mass calculations across amniotes (mammals and reptiles, including birds). Picture credit: Giovanni Bianucci and Eli Amson.

Co-author of the study Olivier Lambert commented:

“These modifications are not pathological, but well known in many aquatic mammals (such as manatees) and extinct reptiles who mostly lived in shallow coastal waters. The extra weight helps these animals regulate their buoyancy and trim underwater. A stable position in the water may have been useful when foraging for crustaceans, demersal fish and molluscs along the seafloor. Such a large and heavy animal may also have been able to counteract waves in high-energy waters.”

In extant cetaceans, who can dive at much greater depth and live far offshore, the bone structure is much lighter.

Evidence of Early Gigantism

It had been thought that gigantism in baleen whales was a relatively recent development in cetacean evolution. The first huge filter-feeding whales were thought to have evolved around 5 million years ago (early Pliocene Epoch). However, the discovery of Perucetus colossus pushes back the evolution of gigantism in prehistoric whales to the Eocene.

Olivier Lambert added:

“Discovering a truly giant species such as Perucetus who is affected by strong bone mass increase changes our understanding of whale evolution. Gigantic body masses have been reached 30 million years before previously assumed, and in a coastal context.”

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “A heavyweight early whale pushes the boundaries of vertebrate morphology” by Giovanni Bianucci, Olivier Lambert, Mario Urbina, Marco Merella, Alberto Collareta, Rebecca Bennion, Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi, Aldo Benites-Palomino, Klaas Post, Christian de Muizon, Giulia Bosio, Claudio Di Celma, Elisa Malinverno, Pietro Paolo Pierantoni, Igor Maria Villa and Eli Amson published in Nature.

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

1 08, 2023

What Did Cave Bears Eat? That’s the Question!

By |2024-01-02T15:00:15+00:00August 1st, 2023|Adobe CS5, Animal News Stories, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

In Europe during the Pleistocene Epoch, brown bears (Ursus arctos) and the now extinct cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) co-existed. Did these large mammals compete for food? A recently published study that examined the jaw mechanics of each bear suggests that they had different diets.

cave bear lower jaw
A lower jaw from a cave bear which is around 40,000 years old. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Fossils from the Goyet Caves in Belgium

Three-dimensional analysis of jawbone fossils excavated from the caves of Goyet in Belgium show clear differences in jaw and dentition configuration. This suggests that brown bears and cave bears had different diets. The study also demonstrates that the diet of brown bears from 30,000 years ago differs only slightly from that of their North American relatives still living today.

Extant brown bears are the closest living relative to the extinct cave bear. Cave bears (U. spelaeus), are thought to have died out around 25,000 years ago.

The new for 2017 Papo Cave Bear model.
Lateral view of the Papo Cave Bear model. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture (above) shows a model of a cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) from the Papo model range.

To view the range of Papo prehistoric animal figures: Papo Prehistoric Animal Figures.

Cave Bears and Brown Bears

Scientists estimate that brown bears and cave bears co-existed from about 1.3 million years ago up until the extinction of the cave bear. They lived in the same habitats and probably competed for plant food. The caves of Goyet and Trou des Nutons in Belgium contain the remains of both bear species, which are about 30,000 years old.

Writing in the journal “Boreas”, Anneke van Heteren, mammal curator at the Zoologische Staatssammlung München (SNSB-ZSM), and Mietje Germonpré of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) showed that the two contemporaries fed differently.

The cave bear was probably entirely vegetarian, whilst the brown bear was an omnivore even then, just like it is today. The shape and biomechanics of the jaws of the two bear species differ significantly. In addition, the scientists were also able to identify small differences in the jaws of the fossil brown bears compared to their conspecifics still living today.

Anneke van Heteren commented:

“Presumably, the fossil brown bears from Belgium ate slightly more plant food than the brown bears from North America today.”

Studying the Fossils of Cubs

The researchers also examined the fossilised jaws of cave bear cubs from the cave network. Their jaws were less well suited to chewing solid food than those of the adults.

Dr Anneke van Heteren added:

“The young bears were also still being fed milk by their mothers. Their jaws first had to adapt to the later development of their permanent dentition.”

The biomechanical differences in the jaws are particularly evident in their gape angles when chewing their food. The study team used geometric morphometrics to assess these physical differences. This is the measurement of skeletal parts with the help of measuring points, so-called landmarks. The method allowed the researchers to visualise the jawbones of the bears in three dimensions. Once a three-dimensional model has been created, the function of the jaw and the teeth can be assessed using statistical methods.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “Geometric morphometric assessment of the fossil bears of Namur, Belgium: Allometry and ecomorphology” by Anneke H. van Heteren and Mietje Germonpré published in the journal Boreas.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

22 07, 2023

Counting Rare Fossil Ichthyosaur Coprolites

By |2024-01-02T15:14:17+00:00July 22nd, 2023|Adobe CS5, Early Years Foundation Reception, Educational Activities, General Teaching, Key Stage 1/2, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils, Teaching|0 Comments

On a visit to the Manchester Museum a team member overheard a grandmother challenging her grandchildren. Her young charges were tasked with counting the fossils in a display cabinet. The cabinet contained various ichthyosaur fossil specimens. Part of the exhibit included marine reptile fossil dung (coprolite). The grandmother asked the children to have a go at counting ichthyosaur coprolites.

Counting ichthyosaur coprolites
Counting ichthyosaur coprolites. A grandmother visiting the Manchester Museum played a counting came with her grandchildren. It involved counting ichthyosaur coprolites. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Gaining Numeracy Confidence Counting Ichthyosaur Coprolites

The children were enjoying their visit to the Manchester Museum. After the photographs in front of the Tyrannosaurus rex cast (Stan), the grandmother set the counting challenge. We are not sure whether she knew that the display cases contained fossils of marine reptile poo, but the children were undeterred. They eagerly accepted the counting challenge.

Counting games can help young children become more confident. Counting games can help them to develop confidence with numeracy.

Tyrannosaurus rex cast skeleton on display
The Tyrannosaurus rex cast on display at the Manchester Museum. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“There is lots to see and lots to do at the Manchester Museum. Staff hand out worksheets and encourage children to take part in various activities themed around the exhibits. We have not come across an activity that involved counting ichthyosaur coprolites before. We congratulate the family for their innovation.”

An Ichthyosaurus model
A model of an ichthyosaur. The Ichthyosaurus model (Wild Safari Prehistoric World) ready to take its turn on the Everything Dinosaur turntable. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The image (above) shows a typical replica of an ichthyosaur. This is the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Ichthyosaurus model.

To view this range: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models and Figures.

The spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur added:

“There is an extensive display of ichthyosaur and other marine reptile fossil material on display. Several of the fossils of ichthyosaurs come from the Dorset coast. We have found some ichthyosaur fossils on the Dorset coast too. We do have ichthyosaur coprolite fossils in our collection. However, we have never played a counting coprolite game unlike the grandchildren.”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

19 07, 2023

Amazing Fossil Find Repenomamus Attacks Psittacosaurus

By |2024-01-02T20:36:19+00:00July 19th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

A joint Canadian and Chinese team of scientists have described a remarkable fossil that preserves a dramatic moment in time when a carnivorous mammal attacked a bigger herbivorous dinosaur. Repenomamus attacks Psittacosaurus, a stunning fossil specimen from the Lower Cretaceous from the Lujiatun fossil beds.

Psittacosaurus attacked by Repenomamus
Entangled Psittacosaurus and Repenomamus skeletons showing details of their interaction. Scale bar equals 10 cm. Picture credit: Gang Han.

Mammal Attacks a Dinosaur

Dr Jordan Mallon (Canadian Museum of Nature), a co-author of the study published in the journal “Scientific Reports” commented:

“The two animals are locked in mortal combat, intimately intertwined, and it’s among the first evidence to show actual predatory behaviour by a mammal on a dinosaur.”

Life reconstruction showing Psittacosaurus being attacked by Repenomamus.
Life reconstruction showing Psittacosaurus being attacked by Repenomamus 125 million years ago. Picture credit: Michael W. Skrepnick/courtesy of Canadian Museum of Nature.

A Fossil from “China’s Dinosaur Pompeii”

The fossil’s discovery challenges the perception that dinosaurs had few threats from their mammal contemporaries during the Cretaceous. It is true to comment that in most terrestrial ecosystems the dinosaurs dominated. However, this exceptionally rare fossil demonstrates that some mammals may have attacked members of the Dinosauria.

The fossil was collected in China’s Liaoning Province in 2012, and both skeletons are nearly complete. Their completeness is due to the fact that they come from an area known as the Lujiatun fossil beds, which have been dubbed “China’s Dinosaur Pompeii”.

The fossil specimen is now in the collections of the Weihai Ziguang Shi Yan School Museum in China’s Shandong Province.

Entangled Psittacosaurus and Repenomamus skeletons.
Entangled Psittacosaurus and Repenomamus skeletons showing details of their interaction. Scale bar equals 10 cm. Picture credit: Gang Han.

Repenomamus Attacks Psittacosaurus

The dinosaur victim has been identified as Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis. It was about the size of a large dog. It is being attacked by a Repenomamus robustus. Repenomamus is not closely related to placental mammals. It was a triconodont, larger and more powerfully built compared to most Mesozoic mammals. The taxonomic position of the Triconodonta within the stem mammals and the Mammalia remains controversial. With a body length of approximately one metre, R. robustus was smaller and lighter than Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis. However, this fossil provides evidence that this mammal attacked dinosaurs that were larger than itself.

Detail of fossil showing Repenomamus biting the ribs of Psittacosaurus.
Detail of fossil showing Repenomamus biting the ribs of Psittacosaurus. Picture credit: Gang Han.

Repenomamus Ate Psittacosaurus

It was already known that Repenomamus ate dinosaurs. A scientific paper was published in 2005 that documented the discovery of a large Repenomamus fossil specimen with the preserved remains of a juvenile Psittacosaurus in what would have been the animal’s digestive tract.

Dr Mallon explained:

“The co-existence of these two animals is not new, but what’s new to science through this amazing fossil is the predatory behaviour it shows.”

Detail of the fossil showing the left hand of Repenomamus wrapped around the lower jaw of Psittacosaurus.
Detail of the fossil showing the left hand of Repenomamus wrapped around the lower jaw of Psittacosaurus. Picture credit: Gang Han.

The Lujiatun Member (Yixian Formation)

The Lujiatun Member of the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China is famous for its extensive vertebrate fossil remains. Animals were buried by mudslides and debris following volcanic eruptions. These pyroclastic flows entombed these unfortunate creatures preserving their last moments of life more than 125 million years ago.

Hillside where the Psittacosaurus and Repenomamus fossils were found.
Hillside where the fossil was collected from the Lujiatun Member of the Yixian Formation of north-eastern China in 2012. Picture credit: Gang Han.

The Psittacosaurus-Repenomamus fossil was in the care of study co-author Dr Gang Han in China, who brought it to the attention of Canadian Museum of Nature palaeobiologist Xiao-Chun Wu. Whilst fossil forgeries are known from the Jehol Group of China, the research team excavated more of the matrix and confirmed that this was an authentic specimen, most likely preserving predatory behaviour.

Repenomamus the Aggressor

A detailed examination of the fossil pair shows that the Psittacosaurus is lying prone, with its hindlimbs folded on either side of its body. The body of the Repenomamus coils to the right and sits atop its prey, with the mammal gripping the jaw of the larger dinosaur. The mammal is also biting into some of the ribs, and the back foot of Repenomamus is gripping onto the dino’s hind leg. These animals are locked in mortal combat.

Dr Mallon postulated that the weight of evidence suggested that an attack from the Repenomamus was underway when the pyroclastic flow killed both animals.

Detail of fossil showing the left hind foot of Repenomamus gripping the left lower leg of Psittacosaurus.
Detail of fossil showing the left hind foot of Repenomamus gripping the left lower leg of Psittacosaurus. Picture credit: Gang Han.

Not Scavenging a Carcase

The research team have ruled out the possibility that the Repenomamus was scavenging a Psittacosaurus corpse. Tooth marks on the dinosaur bones are absent, suggesting that this fossil represents evidence of a mammal attacking a dinosaur.

It is unlikely the two animals would have become so entangled if the dinosaur had been dead before the mammal encountered it. The position of the Repenomamus on top of the Psittacosaurus suggests it was also the aggressor.

Attacks on herbivores by smaller carnivores are seen today. Mallon and Wu note that some lone wolverines are known to hunt larger animals, including caribou and domestic sheep. On the African savanna, wild dogs, jackals and hyenas will attack prey that are still alive, with the prey collapsing, often in a state of shock.

Dr Mallon stated:

“This might be the case of what’s depicted in the fossil, with the Repenomamus actually eating the Psittacosaurus while it was still alive—before both were killed in the roily aftermath.”

Repenomamus robustus attacks Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis
Repenomamus robustus attacks Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis moments before a volcanic debris flow buries them both circa 125 million years ago. Picture credit: Michael W. Skrepnick/courtesy of Canadian Museum of Nature.

The research team speculates in their research paper that further amazing fossils await discovery. The volcanically derived deposits from the Lujiatun fossil beds will continue to yield new evidence of interactions among species.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the Canadian Museum of Nature in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “An extraordinary fossil captures the struggle for existence during the Mesozoic” by Gang Han, Jordan C. Mallon, Aaron J. Lussier, Xiao-Chun Wu, Robert Mitchell and Ling-Ji Li published in Scientific Reports.

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