All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.
Reviews, comments and feedback on television programmes featuring themes of interest to dinosaur fans and fossil collectors by Everything Dinosaur team members.
A new television documentary featuring Sir David Attenborough is due to be shown on the BBC tomorrow (New Year’s Day). Entitled “Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster”, it tells the story of the excavation of a huge pliosaur skull from the Dorset coast.
The life-size replica of the pliosaur (P. carpenteri) suspended from the ceiling at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Pliosaurus carpenteri was formally named and described in 2013 (Benson et al). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The image (above) shows a replica of a pliosaur on display at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Scientists from Bristol University were involved in the study of this pliosaur skull. The skull likely represents a new genus of pliosaur, and at around ten metres long it was a monster!
The Giant Pliosaur Skull
Such is the preservation of the skull, that although crushed the bones remain in articulation. An accurate three-dimensional image of the fossil could be produced. From these images a three-dimensional model of the skull was made. Professor Emily Rayfield (University of Bristol) and expert in jaw biomechanics was able to use this model to estimate the bite force of this apex predator.
Based on scaling up bite force calculations from Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), a biteforce of around 32,000 newtons was calculated for the pliosaur. Although there is a margin of error to take into account with these calculations, the result represents the highest bite force estimated for a marine animal living or extinct.
The film follows Sir David Attenborough as he investigates the discovery of a lifetime. Sir David joins two of Britain’s most intrepid fossil hunters, Steve Etches and Chris Moore, as they face a race against time to excavate the fossil material from its precarious position halfway up a cliff near Kimmeridge Bay.
“Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster” is due to be shown on BBC1 at 8pm on January 1st (2024).
The CollectA Deluxe 1:40 scale Pliosaurus model.
The image (above) shows a replica of a Pliosaurus marine reptile. It is similar in appearance to the CGI pliosaur images revealed in the documentary. The figure comes from the CollectA Deluxe range.
Our thanks to young artist Caldey who sent into Everything Dinosaur a beautiful Rajasaurus drawing inspired by this dinosaur’s appearance in a television series. The theropod Rajasaurus appeared in series two of the award-winning “Prehistoric Planet”. In an episode entitled “Badlands” (episode 2 of series 2), Rajasaurus is depicted feasting on recently hatched titanosaurs.
The stunning illustration of the abelisaurid from India known as Rajasaurus. Picture credit: Caldey.
Picture credit: Caldey
Rajasaurus Hunting Isisaurus Hatchlings
In a dramatic scene from the television series Rajasaurus is depicted hunting some recently hatched Isisaurus. The scientists advising the production company proposed that large titanosaurs such as Isisaurus laid their eggs in old lava flows associated with the extensive Deccan Traps. The warm ground would have helped to incubate the eggs. However, when the eggs hatched, the baby Isisaurus would have made an excellent snack for a hungry abelisaurid.
To avoid being eaten, baby Isisaurus hide amongst the many cracks and gullies in the rocky surface.
Rajasaurus (R. narmadensis) was named and scientifically described in 2003.
Probably an apex predator in its environment. Although recent research has suggested that this abelisaurid did not reach lengths of around 11 metres. A study into abelisaurid body size published in 2016 (Grillo and Delcourt) suggested a body length of approximately 6.6 metres. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The image (above) shows a scale drawing of R. narmadensis.
Fossils of both Rajasaurus and Isisaurus are known from the Upper Cretaceous Lameta Formation of India. These dinosaurs lived at the end of the Mesozoic (Maastrichtian faunal stage). Numerous dinosaur taxa and other vertebrates have been named and described from fossils found in these deposits.
Rajasaurus Drawing
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur congratulated Caldey on her artwork and commented:
“It is a superb dinosaur illustration. Caldey has taken great care to observe Rajasaurus as it was depicted in the television series. She has accurately reproduced the detailed skin texture and the body proportions of this Late Cretaceous predator.”
On thanks to Caldey for sharing her dinosaur illustration with us.
In episode four (Ice Worlds) of the acclaimed television series “Prehistoric Planet”, a troodontid dinosaur is depicted deliberately spreading a forest fire. Is this behaviour plausible? This Apple TV+ series has been praised for depicting prehistoric animals not as movie monsters but as animals capable of complex behaviours as seen in living relatives. The behaviour of many of the dinosaurs in the documentary series reflects behaviour observed and documented in birds.
The feathered troodontid, regarded as one of the cleverest non-avian dinosaurs to have evolved, searches for a smouldering ember in order to start a fire elsewhere in the forest. Picture credit: Apple TV Plus.
Lead scientific consultant for the five-part, nature documentary series, vertebrate palaeontologist and author Darren Naish has used his extensive knowledge of the living world to create realistic scenarios illustrating behaviours of long extinct creatures.
For example, the troodontid is depicted carefully selecting a burning ember and carrying it to another, as yet unburnt, part of the forest in order to deliberately start a fire. Fire starting is a behaviour that has been observed in some species of birds.
A troodontid patrols the edge of a forest fire in a northern, Late Cretaceous forest. Small animals fleeing the flames would make an easy target for this hunter, but did it deliberately carry smouldering embers to create further fires as part of its hunting strategy? Picture credit: Apple TV Plus.
Forest Fires Provide an Opportunity for Hunters
Flames and smoke from a forest fire, presumably started by lightning would cause animals to flee and a hunter like a troodontid could patrol the fringes of the fire and ambush any small mammal, lizards or birds that had been panicked and were attempting to avoid the flames.
In the scene which features the troodontid, this clever little dinosaur (troodontids having relatively large brains in proportion to their body size), chooses an ember and deliberately carries it to another part of the forest to in order to spread the fire.
In the television episode the troodontid is shown carrying an ember from the forest fire. It drops the ember in a part of the forest not yet ablaze in a bid to flush out more potential prey. Picture credit: Apple TV Plus.
Australian Fire Hawks
Indigenous Australians have reported that certain types of bird intentionally spread fires in order to exploit feeding opportunities. People in northern Australia have considered the black kite (Milvus migrans), the whistling kite (Haliastur sphenurus) and the brown falcon (Falco berigora) to be “fire hawks” picking up smouldering debris moving it some distance and then dropping it in a bid to spread the conflagration. Some of the observations and anecdotes were reported in a scientific paper published in the “Journal of Ethnobiology”.
The paper attempted to document evidence supporting the theory that many birds of prey used fires to help them find food, making easy meals out of insects and other small animals attempting to avoid the blaze.
A successful hunt. The intelligent and resourceful troodontid claims its prize. Picture credit: Apple TV Plus.
Co-author of the scientific paper, which was published in 2017, Mark Bonta (Pennsylvania State University), commented:
“We’re not discovering anything. Most of the data that we’ve worked with is collaborative with Aboriginal peoples. They’ve known this for probably 40,000 years or more.”
Other Scientists are Sceptical
Some experts have expressed scepticism, whether these birds were intentionally spreading fires or were seen to pick up sticks as a consequence of darting down to capture prey but missing their intended target.
Anthony Molyneux of the Alice Springs Desert Park commented:
“If [hawks] have missed the prey and perhaps grabbed a stick, they will drop that stick or rock. If the stick is smouldering or on fire, then it will start another fire.”
In a 2016 interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Bob Gosford, an Australian indigenous-rights lawyer and ornithologist explained that these raptors thrive in areas where wildfires are common.
In the interview he stated:
“It’s a feeding frenzy, because out of these grasslands come small birds, lizards, insects, everything fleeing the front of the fire.”
There have been many first-hand accounts of hawks and other birds of prey picking up burning sticks in their claws and dropping them in a fresh area of dry grass several hundred metres away to start another fire.
No one can ever know whether troodontids or other theropod dinosaurs indulged in this fire-spreading behaviour, but research is on-going to determine whether their close relatives (birds) deliberately spread fires.
It certainly made an intriguing and thought-provoking segment in the documentary series.
The scientific paper: “Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia” by Mark Bonta, Robert Gosford, Dick Eussen, Nathan Ferguson, Erana Loveless, Maxwell Witwer published in the Journal of Ethnobiology.
As we await the first episode of the exciting Apple TV + series “Prehistoric Planet” with its cornucopia of feathered dinosaurs we thought we would post up one of our favourite dromaeosaur illustrations – Zhenyuanlong suni by Zhao Chuang.
Very probably a ground-dwelling predator. Named and described in 2015 (Lü and Brusatte), Z. suni is one of several dromaeosaurs that have been named and described from fossils found in Liaoning Province. Picture credit: Zhao Chuang.
Dromaeosaurs a Plenty
The five-part documentary television series “Prehistoric Planet” will feature a variety of small, feathered dinosaurs including troodontids and dromaeosaurs. These animals will not be shown tackling large prey but reflecting behaviour as inferred by the fossil record and seen in their living, close relatives the birds.
Viewers can expect to see many of the prehistoric animals that have been so beautifully illustrated by the incredibly talented Chinese artist Zhao Chuang brought to life thanks to ground-breaking CGI and state-of-the-art puppetry.
Steve Brusatte, (School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh), a co-author of the scientific paper describing Z. suni, is one of the scientific consultants involved in the BBC/Apple TV + documentary series. Viewers can expect to see plenty of feathered dinosaurs, although Zhenyuanlong suni will not feature.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“The five television programmes will focus on different ecosystems that flourished during the Late Cretaceous. Whilst there are many genera of small, feathered dinosaurs including numerous troodontid and dromaeosaurid taxa featured in the programmes, Zhenyuanlong suni lived during the Early Cretaceous. It had been extinct for tens of millions of years prior to the time in which these programmes are set.”
To read Everything Dinosaur’s original blog post announcing the discovery of a large-bodied dromaeosaur from the famous Liaoning Province of China: New Winged Dragon from Liaoning Province.
Zhenyuanlong suni Scientific Paper
The scientific paper: “A large, short-armed, winged dromaeosaurid(Dinosauria: Theropoda) from theEarly Cretaceous of China and its implications for feather evolution” by Junchang Lü and Stephen L. Brusatte published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Today, May 8th, is Sir David Attenborough’s birthday. Sir David Attenborough has enjoyed the best part of seventy years as a broadcaster, narrator and television presenter. His energy and enthusiasm for the natural world shows no sign of deteriorating despite him being just six years short of his centenary. Over recent years, the veteran broadcaster has become an active campaigner raising awareness about climate change, global warming and the impact of our species on the planet.
Sir David Attenborough
He remains as busy as ever, with the BBC producing a new five-part television series narrated by Sir David, highlighting how natural forces such as ocean currents, seismic activity, sunshine and volcanoes contribute to maintaining a sustainable natural world. A source close to Everything Dinosaur has stated that the series is entitled “A Perfect Planet”.
Sir David Attenborough
A gentleman and a scholar. Sir David Attenborough is 94 years old today.
Many Happy Returns
The television programmes will also highlight how some animals such as snub-nosed monkeys, wolves and bears are having to adapt as the world around them changes. Birdlife from the Galapagos islands including vampire finches will also feature in the series.
Commenting on the significance of these programmes, Sir David stated that:
“To preserve our perfect planet we must ensure we become a force for good”.
The fifth and final episode will look at how our species has impacted upon the environment and the billions of other organisms that share our world.
Sir David added:
“Our planet is one in a billion, a world teeming with life. But now, a new dominant force is changing the face of Earth: humans”.
Team members have been lucky enough to have corresponded with Sir David Attenborough, he remains as enthusiastic as ever and passionate about conservation. Many happy returns Sir David, stay safe, keep well.
Sir David Attenborough – A Nonagenarian Passionately Campaigning to Raise Awareness About Climate Change
Sir David Attenborough veteran naturalist and broadcaster. An active campaigner raising awareness about climate change and global warming.
Everything Dinosaur – Providing Support and Free Teaching Resources
The Chinese have a saying “may you live in interesting times”. These are certainly interesting times as we all have to get used to the “new normal” with the coronavirus pandemic to contend with. Team members would like to convey their thoughts and best wishes to all those who have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19).
We have introduced new measures and policies that have enabled the mail order part of our business to keep operating. In these difficult times, having a hobby to act as a distraction can provide great comfort and help to relieve stress. Dinosaur model collecting can have a positive impact on mental health and we have been delighted to receive lots of pictures (and videos too), from collectors who have showcased their collections.
The Mail Order Operations of Everything Dinosaur – Still in Business
Free resources and support from staff. The mail order part of the business is still operating and team members are supporting customers by providing lots of free to use resources and teaching materials.Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Helping to Support Teachers and Those Teaching at Home
Everything Dinosaur has been able to put in place contingency plans helping to keep the company operating through these uncertain times. Our outreach work, liaising with museums and other academic institutions has had to be temporarily put on hold and our school visits have been postponed, but team members are doing all they can to support teachers, teaching assistants, parents, guardians and all those people home schooling at the moment.
Free to Use Teaching Materials and Learning Resources All with a Prehistoric Animal Theme
Free learning materials, teaching resources and advice provided by team members.Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated:
“We do appreciate that the education of many children has been disrupted. We know how challenging this can be, not just for teaching professionals but also for those adults who have children at home who now need to take on a teaching role and to also find ways of keeping their charges entertained. Hopefully, our free to use teaching materials, lesson plans and activity ideas will prove to be helpful in the current situation. We have already supplied hundreds of free downloads and our dedicated school website is geared to handle even more requests in the next few weeks.”
The Everything Dinosaur blog continues to provide a useful source of information regarding science stories and fossil discoveries. Team members are striving to maintain their routine of posting one new article every day. In addition, staff have been busy sending out free puzzles, dinosaur themed quizzes, word searches and even specially compiled dinosaur themed crosswords following requests from fans of prehistoric animals.
The Everything Dinosaur Blog is a Useful Place to Gather Information and We Have Also Sent Out Lots of Free Games and Puzzles
The Everything Dinosaur blog provides lots of helpful resources and team members provide free downloads.Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Everything Dinosaur on YouTube and Facebook
It’s not just education, we recognise that in the current situation there is a need to entertain as well as inform. Team members have been busy creating new YouTube videos and posting up several times a day onto the company’s social media pages including the Facebook site.
Everything Dinosaur Providing Lots of On-line Content to Support Dinosaur Fans
Free to access YouTube and Facebook resources including teaching materials, information and learning resources.Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
If you wish to subscribe to the Everything Dinosaur newsletter so that you can keep up with company developments, simply email us: Email Everything Dinosaur.
T. rex Gets a New Look for a Television Documentary
The most iconic vertebrate in the fossil record, Tyrannosaurus rex has been given a makeover as part of a new television documentary programme due to be shown on the BBC. The hour-long documentary entitled “The Real T. rex with Chris Packham” is due to be shown on BBC Two on Tuesday, 2nd of January. According to the latest scientific research, this formidable Late Cretaceous predator may have looked very different from the way it is usually depicted in books, television programmes and on the big screen.
An Illustration of Tyrannosaurus rex (2018)
A new illustration of T. rex (2018).
Everything Dinosaur team members have known about the television documentary for several months, the aim of this programme is to update what T. rex might have looked like based on the very latest palaeontology, including studies of other feathered theropods and the publishing of a scientific paper on the skin of Tyrannosaurus rex.
Covered in Bristles with a Markings Around the Eyes
The Tyrannosaurus rex makeover will not hold many surprises for dinosaur fans. Most of the information the programme divulges is not new, but for those viewers who think that the solitary, scaly hunter with a huge roar as in “Jurassic World”, is an accurate depiction, they are in for quite a shock.
A New Look for T. rex
A new look for Tyrannosaurus rex (2018).
This iconic dinosaur from the Hell Creek Formation of North America is depicted as having a sparse covering of bristle-like feathers, a scaly skin covered in dark blotches and brightly coloured, orange flashes directly above the eyes. Instead of a terrifying roar, this dinosaur was capable of producing a limited range of vocalisations, roaring is out, replaced by a virtually, inaudible low-frequency rumble, reminiscent of an elephant.
Over the course of the programme, presenter Chris Packham discusses with various experts what T. rex probably looked like and how it might have behaved based on the latest fossil evidence. It is not that surprising, but the consensus of opinion is that Tyrannosaurus rex had more in common with birds than it does with today’s crocodiles. Not an astounding revelation given that T. rex was a lot more closely related to birds than to crocodilians.
Covered in Dark Blotches
In the segment featuring Professor Julia Clarke (University of Texas), the skin colouration of this seven-tonne giant is discussed. Professor Clarke postulates that this animal was covered in dark patches. An analysis of fossilised dinosaur skin has identified structures similar to those that produce the natural pigment melanin. This suggests that T. rex could have been dark coloured and blotchy, perhaps to help break up its outline in dappled light, in a similar vein to the markings on some World War II battleships. The colouration of this dinosaur remains controversial, as the tendency to find structures that resemble melanin might reflect a bias in the fossilisation process.
The absence of a total body covering of feathers in an adult animal is explained by the concept of the rate of heat loss based on the ratio between surface area and volume. A large animal in excess of thirteen metres long, such as Tyrannosaurus rex would have had a large volume compared to its surface area. It would have lost heat to its surroundings more slowly than smaller animals.
Endothermic T. rex
Over-heating for an active predator could have been more of a problem rather than trying to keep warm, especially if T. rex was endothermic (warm-blooded). Hence, the lack of feathers on the body, a few stiff bristles and some tufts rather than a thick, shaggy coat. Younger animals with a larger surface areas compared to their volume, such as the sub-adult “Tristan” tyrannosaur that features in the programme, may have had a more substantial coat helping to insulate the animal.
The idea of a sparsely feathered T. rex has already been explored by model manufacturer CollectA. In 2018, they will be introducing a 1:40 scale replica of a Tyrannosaurus rex with fewer feathers than their current feathered T. rex model. In a direct comparison with modern flightless birds such as the Cassowary, the television documentary suggests that this dinosaur may have retained “a light patching of feathery bristles strategically placed for social display”.
Less Feathers on the New for 2018 CollectA T. rex Replica
CollectA roaring feathered T. rex dinosaur model.
The model (above) comes from the CollectA Deluxe model range.
Detailed scans of the fossil bones suggest that these dinosaurs might have fought with each other, perhaps over food, mates or even to decide hierarchies within packs or family groups. The bright orange crests over the eyes also portray T. rex with more affinities to the Aves. Birds have colour vision and rely on colour for visual displays. The scientists argue that the thickened ridges found on the skulls of adult animals may represent the remains of crests or prominent lumps that were very colourful and used to show maturity, dominance and perhaps played a role in ritual displays.
Chris Packham Comes Face to Face with the New T. rex
Presenter Chris Packham comes face to face with T. rex.
Television Documentary on Ichthyosaurs Scheduled for BBC One
A television documentary exploring the life of a remarkable ichthyosaur is due to be shown on BBC 1 on the evening of Sunday 7th January. Entitled “Attenborough and the Sea Dragon”, this hour-long programme follows the excavation of an Early Jurassic ichthyosaur fossil on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset. Sir David Attenborough, a keen fossil hunter himself, joins a team of experts as they attempt to excavate the fossilised remains and piece together the life story of an ancient sea monster.
A Computer-Generated Image of an Ichthyosaur
A computer generated image of an ichthyosaur.
Picture credit: BBC Media
Everything Dinosaur stocks a range of ichthyosaur figures.
The fossilised remains, believed to represent the largest ichthyosaur known from the British Isles, were discovered by Dorset fossil hunter Chris Moore in 2016. The documentary programme will include a segment in which the fossil bones are scanned and a replica skeleton of the 200-million-year-old “fish lizard” is created. By examining the bones, the team hope to bring this prehistoric sea creature’s story to life.
Fossil Hunter Chris Moore with Some Blocks of the Ichthyosaur Material
Chris Moore with some of the blocks containing the ichthyosaur fossils.
Picture credit: Richard Austin
Chris spotted the fossil material eroding out of a high cliff and the material had to be removed before the winter storms hit, otherwise the rare fossils would have been lost forever.
The extraordinary fossil includes skin impressions, this leads to new revelations about how these predators might have looked. As the story unfolds, Sir David compares the sea dragon to animals alive today, including dolphins, sharks, crocodiles and turtles.
A 200-million-year-old Murder Mystery
As more of the fossil bones are revealed the scientists make a startling discovery. This ichthyosaur did not die of natural causes, it was attacked, but what fearsome beast could have killed this giant? Using techniques more at home in a police forensics laboratory than a paleo-preparation lab, the team piece together evidence that points the figure of suspicion at another huge Ichthyosaur – a seven-metre-long monster called Temnodontosaurus.
A Replica of a Temnodontosaurus (T. platydon) A Giant, Viviparous Ichthyosaur
Using state of the art imaging technology and cutting-edge CGI the team build the skeleton and create the most detailed animation of an ichthyosaur ever made, bringing this Lyme Regis discovery to life as well as reconstructing its fate.
Programme Details
The one-hour television documentary is confirmed for BBC One on Sunday 7th January 8pm to 9pm.
BBC – The Real T. rex with Chris Packham (New Time)
A television documentary focusing on how our perceptions regarding the most famous dinosaur of all has changed has been rescheduled and will now be broadcast on Tuesday, January 2nd.
“The Real T. rex” presented by naturalist Chris Packham was due to be shown in late December, but this programme will now be shown on BBC 2 at 9pm on January 2nd.
Television Documentary on Tyrannosaurus rex
Chris Packham next to “Tristan” at the Museum für Naturkunde (Berlin).
Travelling the World to Learn More About Tyrannosaurus rex
In the programme information sent to Everything Dinosaur by BBC Media, an outline of the format of the one-hour-long programme is provided. Chris embarks on a global journey to learn more about how scientists are reinterpreting Tyrannosaurus rex, a dinosaur which very probably, did not look like or sound like the animal portrayed in so many science fiction movies, including the new Jurassic World film (Fallen Kingdom), due to reach cinema screens in the summer of 2018.
Ground-breaking research into the composition of dinosaur skin, teeth and musculature, combined with reconstructions of the brain of this super-sized theropod, are helping to redefine this iconic dinosaur.
Reptile or Bird?
Meeting numerous international dinosaur experts, the presenter aims to answer questions such as was T. rex a hunter or a scavenger? What colour was this dinosaur and just how much of this dinosaur’s body was covered in feathers? Was T. rex more bird-like than previously thought?
To read an article on the scientific study of skin impressions from a Tyrannosaurus rex: T. rex Sheds its Feathers.
Dinosaur model fans will already know that Everything Dinosaur exclusively revealed in a recent blog post that CollectA will be making a new deluxe. 1:40 scale feathered T. rex model, but this figure will have reduced plumage.
The New for 2018 CollectA Deluxe Roaring Tyrannosaurus rex Model
CollectA roaring feathered T. rex dinosaur model.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Collectors should be able to pick up this figure around the middle of next year, shortly before the premier of “Fallen Kingdom”.
Documentary viewers have been promised the most accurate CGI representation of a Tyrannosaurus rex ever created. Chris travels to meet Dr Greg Erikson, whose research with alligators is revealing the true power of this carnivore’s incredible bite. In Dino State Park (Texas), he walks in the footsteps of real and still visible dinosaur footprints and with the help of biomechanics expert Professor John Hutchinson and a virtual treadmill, they determine how the predator moved. Chris Packham is given unique access to “Tristan” a star exhibit at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin.
There is even an examination of the social life of T. rex, a section of this documentary in which Chris Packham explores the Badlands of Alberta in the company of renowned palaeontologist Phil Currie (University of Alberta).
Those programme details again:
“The Real T. rex with Chris Packham” – Tuesday 2nd January, BBC 2 from 9pm to 10pm.
Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham will be presenting a special one-hour documentary on the “King of the Tyrant Lizards”. Sources close to Everything Dinosaur expect this television programme to form part of the corporation’s Christmas 2017 schedule.
Chis Packham Brings Tyrannosaurus rex to Television
Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham.
Picture credit: BBC
New Insight into the Life and Behaviour of an Apex Late Cretaceous Predator
Life-long dinosaur fan Chris Packham once told Everything Dinosaur team members that one of the first things he made at school was a plasticine model of T. rex. His model with its kangaroo stance and tail dragging on the floor was based on pictures of Tyrannosaurus rex he had encountered in books. In the fifty years or so, since Chris made that model, our understanding of this iconic Late Cretaceous predator has been transformed. This sixty-minute, one-off television programme, aims to bring viewers up to date and combines state-of-the-art computer animation and the very latest research into one of the largest land carnivores known to science.
Viewers Can Expect T. rex to be Depicted with a Shaggy Coat of Feathers
We even supply a roll of cardboard with every model! A replica of a feathered Tyrannosaurus rex.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The model in the picture above is a CollectA feathered T. rex.
In the programme, Chris embarks on a journey to expose the myths and misconceptions surrounding T. rex. He aims to separate the science from the often inaccurate portrayal of this dinosaur as seen in many movies. Viewers can expect further information about the running speed of this 7-tonne monster, it is unlikely there will be any scenes with a tyrannosaur chasing down a jeep à la Jurassic Park. Taking inspiration from the “Tyrannosaur Chronicles – The Biology of the Tyrant Dinosaurs” by palaeontologist Dr David Hone (London University), the programme will explore the biology, diet, behaviour and anatomy of T. rex.
The Truth Behind an Iconic Theropod
Chris will meet numerous international experts and joins an excavation site in the Badlands of South Dakota to see how fossilised bones are excavated and prepared for study. One of the aims of the production team will be to produce the most accurate CGI model of a T. rex created to date, that’s a long way from the plasticine figure from Chris Packham’s childhood. Expect to see plenty of feathers in what is being hailed as a trailblazing documentary blending the latest research from palaeontologists, ideas from zoologists and ground-breaking computer technology.
To help put “flesh on the bones”, as it were, Chris will have access to Tristan (Tristan Otto), one of the most complete T. rex specimens ever found. Discovered in 2010 in the Hell Creek Formation (Montana), some 170 bones from a single individual have been collected. Tristan is housed in the vertebrate fossil collection of the Museum für Naturkunde (Berlin). It is the only actual fossil T. rex skeleton exhibit in Europe and a team of scientists are currently involved in an extensive research project to learn more about the life and times of this twelve-metre-long monster.
“Tristan Otto” on Display at the Museum für Naturkunde (Berlin, Germany)
“Tristan Otto” the T. rex specimen on display in Berlin.
Picture credit: Carola Radke (Museum für Naturkunde)
A T. rex Documentary
The documentary makers promise new information and insights into tyrannosaur brain function and more details on those deadly, bone crushing jaws.
Chris Packham commented:
“Big, fierce and extinct! It’s the most famous, most glamorous poster pin-up in the zoological world; it’s the greatest animal that ever lived. And yet perhaps the most misrepresented too. It’s time to put that right. T. rex has evolved more in my lifetime than the last 65 million years. It’s gone from a grey tail-dragging dullard to an intelligent, social super-predator. Using science, we will at last tell the truth about T. rex. Don’t bother to put the kettle on!”
Dinosaur fans in the UK can expect this documentary to light up their Christmas viewing, it will probably be available in other countries too, as broadcasting rights get sorted.
“T. rex” for BBC2 is a co-production between Talesmith and Cineflix. The Executive Producer is Martin Williams and the BBC Commissioning Editor is Diene Petterle.
