Everything Dinosaur Introduces more Carnegie Collection Scale Models

Everything Dinosaur is adding to its existing range of prehistoric animal models by offering more of the Carnegie Museum scale models.  The Carnegie Collection is one of the world’s best known line of prehistoric animal models. This extensive collection is manufactured by the American company Safari Limited. A model range that includes a range of models normally in the 1:20 or 1:40 scale model range.

Carnegie Museum Scale Models

Each model is hand-painted, phthalate free and is a highly detailed replica of a prehistoric animal.  Every model comes with its own educational hang tag and these particular models are suitable for children aged 3+.

The Dimetrodon Model from the Carnegie Collection

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

As well as dinosaurs the range also includes a number of models of animals that were not dinosaurs, but reptiles, such as the pelycosaur Dimetrodon (pictured above).  Whether a dinosaur or not, all the models are skilfully created and carry the name of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, one of the most important natural history museums in the world.

To view the Dimetrodon model, dinosaurs and other prehistoric animal replicas and figures: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

For dinosaur models and dinosaur toys, the Carnegie Collection is a must for serious model collectors and for young dinosaur fans.  It is great to see such a diverse range of animals represented and they are robust and tough, just what is required for creative play.

The Carnegie Collection Acrocanthosaurus Dinosaur Model

The rare and long ago retired Safari Ltd Carnegie Collection Acrocanthosaurus dinosaur model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Wild Safari Prehistoric World Figures

To view the range of prehistoric animal replicas in the Safari Ltd range: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Figures.

Megalodon Giant Shark soft Toy available from Everything Dinosaur

As part of the new “Sea Monsters” range from Everything Dinosaur, we are delighted to introduce Megalodon, a giant, cuddly shark soft toy.  Megalodon is the largest, fiercest most amazing predatory shark known from the fossil record.  Its mouth was so big that it could swallow a modern Great White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) whole.

The new Megalodon Soft Toy from Everything Dinosaur

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view the shark soft toys and other prehistoric animals: Dinosaur Soft Toys.

Megalodon

Megalodon is certainly very popular with young children.  This large prehistoric fish (length estimated to be 15-16 metres), has appeared in a number of television documentaries and many museums display the huge triangular teeth, some of which are bigger than a man’s hand.

Fossils of Megalodon (mostly teeth), have been found all over the world, in Europe, the Americas, southern Asia and Australia.  It seems to have had a very wide range, living in most of the warm ocean areas of the Miocene and Pliocene epochs.

The Megalodon soft toy from Everything Dinosaur doesn’t bite but it does have a specially shaped tail to help youngsters carry it.  We call this our special “shark grip tail”, a feature loved by the young children that we tested this shark soft toy with.  The Megalodon soft toy measures 48 cm in length, so it is approximately at 1cm = 1 foot scale to the real animal.

It is covered in soft, blue and white, sponge washable material, (a colouration approved by our experts who think that Megalodon may have actually been coloured like this).  Megalodon is believed to have been an ambush killer, adopting a hunting strategy similar to the Great Whites of today.  A white underbelly and dark blue top would make excellent camouflage for a surface water hunter.

The real give away are the 5 clearly marked gill slits on each side of the Megalodon soft toy.  Modern shark species like Megalodon have 5 gill slits.  See for yourself, find other pictures of Megalodon in books or watch TV documentaries about it and you will be able to count them yourself.

A beautifully made Megalodon soft toy, suitable for children from 3 years plus.  A bit of a novelty we know, making a soft toy to represent a fearsome creature such as a Megalodon but there is a lack of Megalodon soft toys (we think this is the first in the world), and young palaeontologists seem to be fascinated by the big fierce predators, so we went out and got a giant soft toy shark sorted for them.

To view the range of prehistoric animal themed gifts available: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

Tyrannosaurus rex – Second Most Popular Model Dinosaur at Christmas 2008

Tyrannosaurus rex, arguably the most famous dinosaur of all, is not the best selling prehistoric animal model at Everything Dinosaur for Christmas 2008.  It is however, the best selling dinosaur model of this festive season, but more about the most popular model tomorrow (without giving too much away).  After all, not every animal in the fossil record is a dinosaur.

Model Dinosaur

Although there are many models of Tyrannosaurus rex, and indeed we would estimate that this particular dinosaur has the most merchandise based on it, there are not that many fossils of this predator to study.  Less than 30 have ever been found of T. rex, most of these are only partial remains.

Despite the lack of real fossil evidence (especially when compared to the relative abundant data scientists have on animals such as the duck-billed dinosaurs), T. rex is still very popular and most museums strive to gain access to tyrannosaur fossil material.

Model of Tyrannosaurus rex: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

Indeed, most museum shops sell far more T. rex toys than any other prehistoric animal, but for Everything Dinosaur, the introduction of a particular prehistoric animal toy has changed things for this year.

Tyrannosaurus rex

The most complete fossil skeleton of T. rex was discovered by Susan Hendrickson on August 12th 1990, over 80% of the bones associated with this animal were found.  This dinosaur was nicknamed “Sue” and was sold at auction for the world record amount for a fossil of $8.36 million dollars.

Dracorex – A Very Popular Bonehead!

The pachycephalosaurs are a group of plant-eating dinosaurs known from the Late Cretaceous.  These animals seem to have been one of the last major dinosaur groups to evolve and most of what scientists know about these herbivorous dinosaurs has been derived from studies of their extraordinary skulls.  Very few fossilised bones have been found, but the skulls, many of which had extraordinary bumps, ridges and horns and some were extremely thick have survived the fossilisation process, partly due to their very robust nature.

Dinosaur Toys

Pachycephalosaurs are dinosaurs of the northern hemisphere (Laurasia).  They are related to the horned dinosaurs such as Triceratops (Marginocephalia), the largest of these dinosaurs known to date is Pachycephalosaurus.  It is estimated that this particular dinosaur grew to lengths of 5 metres or more, the top of the skull was thickened, it comprised of over 25 cm of solid bone.

The best known pachycephalosaur is Stegoceras and most other pachycephalosaur reconstructions are based on this dinosaur.  The dinosaur called Dracorex (Dracorex hogwartsia), is based on Stegoceras.  As with other pachycephalosaurs, fossils of Dracorex (the name means King Dragon of Hogwarts, after the school in the Harry Potter novels); are rare.

Remains of Dracorex were found in the famous Hell Creek Formation of the USA, they consisted of a single tooth, one skull, almost complete and some neck bones.  This dinosaur was named and described in 2006, the name Dracorex was chosen after a competition involving American school children.

An Illustration of Dracorex

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Despite being such a rare fossil, model sales of Dracorex have been really surprising.  Perhaps this is because there are so few models of pachycephalosaurs available.  Sales of this recently introduced dinosaur model have been so good that it enters our top selling Christmas dinosaur model chart at number 3.

To view dinosaur models and toys available from Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur Models and Prehistoric Animal Toys.

Nothronychus a Popular Dinosaur Model at Christmas

A model of the first therizinosaurid dinosaur to be found outside Asia, makes the Everything Dinosaur top five best selling prehistoric animal models in the lead up to Christmas 2008.

Nothronychus

Unlike other therizinosaur fossils, an almost complete skeleton of this particular dinosaur has been found.  The fossils were discovered in New Mexico, Nothronychus, like the other therizinosaurs is a most bizarre-looking dinosaur.  For instance, although it is related to other theropods, it seems to have adopted a plant-eating lifestyle.

We tend to regard these type of dinosaurs as animals that possess a range of peculiar features, a sort of dinosaur “designed by a committee”.

To read more about Nothronychus: Nothronychus – a dinosaur designed by a committee.

These type of prehistoric animals, also referred to as segnosaurs seemed to have found a successful niche in the Cretaceous eco-system as they diversified into a number of genera and lived in Asia as well as the United States.

A Illustration of Nothronychus

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Dinosaur Models

To view models of therizinosaurids and other strange dinosaurs: Dinosaur Toys and Dinosaur Models.

Estimated to have measured approximately 5 metres in length, and tipping the scales at over 1 Tonne, this peculiar dinosaur lived in what was the western USA approximately 90 million years ago.  The dinosaur was named after its sloth-like claws (Nothronychus means sloth-like claw), as the scientists who named and described this dinosaur thought that it may have filled the niche that sloths have in today’s ecosystems.