As Everything Dinosaur team members prepare for the arrival of the new for 2021 PNSO Helicoprion model a scale drawing of this strange fish from the Permian has been commissioned. Haylee the Helicoprion model is due to be in stock at Everything Dinosaur later in the summer (2021).
As Everything Dinosaur prepares for the arrival of Haylee the Helicoprion model from PNSO a scale drawing of this Permian fish has been commissioned. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Three species in the Helicoprion genus are currently assigned, each one being distinguished from the others by variations identified in the distinctive tooth whorl. The size of this predator remains uncertain, although based on the morphology of other smaller related fish, Helicoprion has been estimated to have been around 5 to 8 metres in length. In the Everything Dinosaur scale drawing that we have prepared, our image indicates that this strange fish grew to lengths of around 7.5 to 8 metres.
PNSO Haylee the Helicoprion replica. The stunning emerald eye on the model is reminiscent of the eye of a Chimaera such as the deep water Rabbit Fish (Chimaera monstrosa) to which Helicoprion is distantly related.
Haylee the Helicoprion
As with the other mid-size PNSO replicas, this stunning model has been given a nickname. The figure is called Haylee the Helicoprion, Everything Dinosaur team members are not sure why Haylee was chosen; however, it is certainly a welcome addition to the PNSO product portfolio and we are looking forward to stocking it later on this year (2021).
The model measures 21 cm in length and from the base of the tail fluke to the top of the dorsal fin of the Helicoprion is 7.5cm
Model Measurements
The model measures around 21 cm in length and although PNSO do not declare a scale for this range of prehistoric animal figures, team members estimate that if Helicoprion was around 8 metres in length then this model would be in approximately 1:38 scale or thereabouts.
Fossilised teeth whorl from a cartilaginous fish. The famous tooth whorl associated with the Permian fish genus Helicoprion.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that they were looking forward to bringing this model into stock and they were also excited about making more new product announcements about PNSO models in the very near future.
To view the range of PNSO prehistoric animal models and figures in stock at Everything Dinosaur: PNSO Age of Dinosaurs.
Scientists writing in the academic journal “PeerJ” have reported the discovery of an extensive pterosaur trackway from the Lower Cretaceous Shengjinkou Formation in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in north-western China. The trackway consists of 114 small pterosaur tracks (57 handprints and 57 footprints). Analysis of these trace fossils has led to the erection of a new pterosaur ichnospecies – Pteraichnus wuerhoensis, although the researchers speculate that these tracks could have been made by the dsungaripterid pterosaur Noripterus complicidens.
A photograph of the tracksite with an interpretative line drawing. The tracks have been assigned to the new pterosaur ichnospecies Pteraichnus wuerhoensis. Picture credit Wei Gao.
A Complicated Trackway to Interpret
As 57 handprints (manus) and 57 footprints (pes) have been preserved on the same slab of finely-grained sandstone, the researchers confidently assert that the trackmaker was quadrupedal, but they can’t say for certain whether these prints were all produced at the same time. It is presumed that they would have been made over a short period of time on a muddy shoreline close to a large lake, as they would have needed to be covered by sediment quite quickly to permit their preservation. The lack of ripple marks or invertebrate trace fossils in the slab suggest that this surface was rapidly buried after only being exposed for a short period.
The handprints range in size from 1.9 cm long to 5.15 cm, whilst the feet impressions range in size from 2.68 cm to 5.71 cm. This suggests that the tracks were made by pterosaurs of different ages. This indicates that both adult and juvenile forms may have congregated at this location.
Gregarious Pterosaurs
The density of the Wuerho small pterosaur tracks was also remarked upon. The density is high, the assemblage would represent a density of tracks of around 365 per square metre. Generally, high densities of tracks (in excess of 100 per square metre), have often been cited as evidence of gregarious behaviour or high activity levels.
A detailed comparison with other pterosaur tracks suggests that these prints belong to the ichnogenus Pteraichnus, this is the tenth ichnospecies to be assigned to this ichnogenus. It being distinguished from the others by several traits, for example in these tracks the length of the toes on the foot are equal to the length of the metatarsal part of the foot. The ratio between the length of the toes and the rest of the foot is 1:1, this ratio is different from other reported pterosaur tracks assigned to the ichnogenus Pteraichnus.
The foot of the dsungaripterid pterosaur Noripterus complicidens (left) with outline drawing of N. complicidens foot (middle) and interpretative drawing of a track made by a foot (right). The researchers infer that these tracks were probably made by N. complicidens. The length of the digital part of the foot (Di) is equal to the length of the metatarsal part of foot (Me). The ratio between the length of the toes and the rest of the foot is 1:1 this ratio is different from other reported pterosaur tracks assigned to the ichnogenus Pteraichnus and therefore supports the theory that these tracks represent a new ichnospecies. Picture credit: Li et al with additional notation by Everything Dinosaur.
Tracks Possibly Made by Noripterus complicidens
The researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Centre for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment), postulate that the tracks may have been made by the dsungaripterid pterosaur Noripterus complicidens. To date only two genera of pterosaur have been identified from fossils found in the Shengjinkou Formation in north-western China. They are both members of the Dsungaripteridae family, a group of advanced pterodactyloid pterosaurs with robust, stout skulls and strong limbs.
The two genera are Dsungaripterus (D. weii) and the slightly smaller Noripterus (N. complicidens). By comparing the tracks to the foot bone of Noripterus, the researchers concluded that these tracks were made by Noripterus, a pterosaur with a wingspan of approximately 2 metres that probably fed on shellfish, hence the congregation of pterosaur tracks at this site, although no feeding traces could be identified.
An incomplete specimen of the dsungaripterid pterosaur Noripterus complicidens. Picture credit: Junchang Lü.
The scientific paper: “A new pterosaur tracksite from the Lower Cretaceous of Wuerho, Junggar Basin, China: inferring the first putative pterosaur trackmaker” by Yang Li, Xiaolin Wang and Shunxing Jiang published in PeerJ.
New research published in the on-line academic journal “PeerJ” suggests that the bite of a juvenile T. rex was strong enough to puncture bone.
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh palaeontologist Joseph Peterson in collaboration with Shannon Brink, formerly at Wisconsin but now a student at East Carolina University along with Jack Tseng (University of Berkeley, California), tested the bite force that can be generated on the tip of a tooth from a teenage T. rex. They discovered that even though the tyrannosaur was far from fully grown, it could generate a bite force of up to 5,641 newtons, that’s much higher than an adult male lion (Panthera leo) and more than has been estimated for the giant abelisaurid Carnotaurus (C. sastrei).
In fact, this bite force estimate for a T. rex believed to have been around thirteen years of age is comparable to the calculated bite forces of many adult meat-eating dinosaurs such as Allosaurus fragilis.
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh palaeontologist Joseph Peterson demonstrating the bone penetrating bite of a tyrannosaur. Picture credit: University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
Where did Juvenile Tyrannosaurs Fit in Late Cretaceous Ecosystems
Whilst there has been quite a lot of research on the bite force potential of adult meat-eating dinosaurs, particularly tyrannosaurs, much less work has been undertaken to assess the bite forces generated by juveniles. By gaining a better understanding of the power of the jaws of these sub-adult predators, then palaeontologists can infer important information about their behaviour such as hunting strategies and preferred prey.
The Schleich juvenile T. rex and the 2017 Schleich T. rex model. Juvenile tyrannosaurs had a bone crunching bite.New research into the bite force generated by juvenile T. rex dinosaurs suggest that they could penetrate bone.
Crunching Cow Bones
In order to test the bite force, a replica of a tooth from a juvenile T. rex was mounted onto a mechanical testing frame used in the University’s engineering and science block. Numerous experiments were then carried out to see if the tooth could penetrate and crack the leg bone of a cow. Based on seventeen successful attempts to match the depth and shape of penetration marks identified in the fossil record, the researchers determined that a thirteen-year-old T. rex could have exerted up to 5,641 newtons of force, that’s somewhere between the bite force exerted by a modern-day hyena and a crocodile.
Impressive as it is, after all, we humans can muster a bite force across our incisors of around 300 newtons, the juvenile T. rex had a much weaker bite than that estimated for an adult. Some scientists have calculated that an adult T. rex could generate a bite force in excess of 35,000 newtons, easily enough pressure to shatter the bones of a hadrosaur or a Triceratops.
Bite down hard! Assessing the bite force of Tyrannosaurus rex. Picture credit: Biology Letters.
The study reveals that juvenile T. rexes were developing their biting techniques and strengthening their jaw muscles to be able crush bone once their adult teeth came in.
Commenting on the significance of this study, Joseph Peterson stated:
“This actually gives us a little bit of a metric to help us gauge how quickly the bite force is changing from juvenile to adulthood, and something to compare with how the body is changing during that same period of time. Are they already crushing bone? No, but they are puncturing it. It allows us to get a better idea of how they are feeding, what they are eating. It is just adding more to that full picture of how animals like tyrannosaurs lived and grew and the roles that they played in that ecosystem.”
The scientific paper: “Bite force estimates in juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex based on simulated puncture marks” by Joseph E. Peterson, Z. Jack Tseng and Shannon Brink published in PeerJ.
New research suggests that the remarkable Burgess Shale deposits may not preserve the remains of a single, complex Cambrian marine ecosystem but the animals that were to become preserved as fossils may have been transported to this location from much further away.
A New Research Paper Focusing on the Burgess Shale Deposits
Researchers led by Dr Nicholas Minter and Dr Orla Bath Enright (University of Portsmouth), writing in the academic journal “Communications Earth & Environment” postulate that the amazing biota associated with the Walcott Quarry could have undergone substantial transport prior to deposition. They suggest that this aggregation of fossils of primitive marine creatures might not represent the remains of a single, rich and diverse ecosystem but the accumulated remains of several prehistoric communities.
The rich and diverse Cambrian biota associated with the Walcott Quarry (British Columbia). Picture credit: Phlesch Bubble/Royal Ontario Museum.
Ancient Lifeforms Moved by Mudflows
In late August 1909, American palaeontologist Charles Walcott was exploring an area of shale deposits exposed in the mountains of British Columbia close to Mount Burgess. He discovered a profusion of fossils in the shales, many of which had their soft parts preserved. The strata consist of fine mud which were laid down between 510 and 505 million years ago and the location, now known as Walcott Quarry, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.
More than 65,000 fossil specimens have been collected representing more than 120 species. This fossil assemblage helped to support the theory of the “Cambrian explosion”, that towards the middle of the Cambrian there was a sudden burst of evolutionary activity leading to the evolution of the Phyla we have today. It had been thought that this Lagerstätte had been formed when catastrophic mudflows buried the ecosystem but the researchers, using flume experiments were able to demonstrate that the remains of delicate animals were capable of being transported tens of kilometres.
The research team were able to plot the movement of delicate animal remains in mudflows and they concluded that they would not have deteriorated further despite significant transport. Picture credit: Orla Bath Enright et al.
Taphonomic Assessment and Analysis of the Burgess Shale Deposits
The researchers used a combination of measurements and assessments at the Walcott Quarry site with flume tank laboratory tests to mimic the mudflows and the deposition. They concluded that the delicate bodies of certain creatures could have been moved over tens of kilometres without damage, creating the illusion of this Lagerstätte representing a single prehistoric community.
Field work being carried out at the Walcott Quarry located in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia. Picture credit: Orla Bath Enright.
The Deterioration of the Remains of Polychaete Worms
The University of Portsmouth was assisted in this research by scientists from University of Saskatchewan and Southampton University. They looked at one particular species of polychaete worm (Alitta virens) present in the shales, classified the degree of preservation for fossil specimens from entire/complete to degraded with just jaws and setae (bristle-like structures) left. They concluded that transport of the carcasses of these delicate animals did not significantly damage the remains further beyond what has already occurred due to normal decay processes.
Increasing states of polychaete degradation (Alitta virens). The researchers examined the fossilised remains of one species of polychaete worm and grouped the remains into categories related to the pristine state of the fossil material. It was concluded that the remains of soft-bodied, delicate animals could have been transported considerable distances and thus the Burgess Shale Lagerstätte might represent the preserved remains of more than one marine community. Picture credit: Orla Bath Enright et al.
Commenting on the implications this study might have Dr Bath Enright stated:
“We don’t know over what kind of overall time frame these many flows happened, but we know each one produced an ‘event bed’ that we see today stacked up on top of one another. These flows could pick up animals from multiple places as they moved across the seafloor and then dropped them all together in one place”.
Stratigraphy and interpretative line drawings from sediments associated with the Walcott Quarry. The image (B) shows Bed A from the Greater Phyllopod Bed of the Walcott Quarry, whilst (C) shows a line drawing of the sedimentation of Bed A. Soft-bodied organisms (1, 2, and 3) from the proposed mud flows will become mixed in the deposit. Picture (D) shows a thin-section scan from Bed A showing parallel laminae, erosive, scoured bases, and “floating” quartz grains (Q). White arrows indicate transitional cohesive flow deposits. Picture credit: Orla Bath Enright et al.
A Cautionary Note
This research indicates that the transportation of the remains of soft-bodied creatures does not unduly affect their degradation. Fossils found in a single layer of sediment and assumed to represent animals living together in a single ecosystem, could actually represent the accumulation of remains that have been gathered together and that these animals may have lived far apart. The study provides a cautionary note on how palaeontologists develop views on ancient ecosystems based on the fossilised remains of the creatures they study.
Intriguingly, for what appears to be such a rich and specious community, dominated by benthic organisms (living on the seafloor), there is very little evidence of trackways, burrows or bioturbation associated with this famous fossil site. The lack of these trace fossils suggests a predominantly low oxygen or anoxic habitat and this lends weight to the idea that the sediments in which the fossils were found do not represent the habitat of these creatures.
An Ottoia fossil (Burgess Shale). Many different types of worm are associated withthe Burgess Shale deposits but very few trace fossils such as burrows have been preserved. This lends weight to the idea that the remains of these animals were transported to the site from elsewhere.
What Caused the Mudflows?
It is not known precisely what caused the mudflows which buried and transported the animals which became fossilised, but the area was subject to multiple flows, causing well-preserved fossils to be found at numerous different levels in the shale.
Dr Bath Enright added:
“When we see multiple species accumulated together it can give the illusion we are seeing a single community. But we argue that an individual ‘event bed’ could be the product of several communities of animals being picked up from multiple places by a mudflow and then deposited together to give what looks like a much more complicated single community of animals”.
The scientific paper: “Flume experiments reveal flows in the Burgess Shale can sample and transport organisms across substantial distances” by Orla G. Bath Enright, Nicholas J. Minter, Esther J. Sumner, M. Gabriela Mángano and Luis A. Buatois published in Communications Earth & Environment.
To celebrate the publication of the amazing book “Locked in Time” by award-winning palaeontologist Dean Lomax with illustrations by renowned palaeoartist Bob Nicholls, Everything Dinosaur is giving you the chance to win a copy in our free to enter Facebook competition.
Please note this competition has now closed.
We even created a short YouTube video briefly reviewing the book and explaining how you can enter our contest.
https://youtu.be/g4LIA6AzTHc
Win a Copy of “Locked in Time” thanks to Everything Dinosaur (Please note this competition closes at midnight (BST) on June 17th 2021).
A Fabulous New Book Describing Behaviour Inferred from Fossils
Let’s give the book its full title – “Locked in Time – Animal Behaviour Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils”, it has taken Dr Dean Lomax ten years to research and write. He has teamed up with Bob Nicholls a well-known, British palaeoartist who has used his extensive knowledge of the living world to vividly reproduce moments captured in deep, geological time by the fossil discoveries.
The front cover of the book “Locked in Time – Animal Behaviour Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils” by Dean Lomax with illustrations by Bob Nicholls. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
The Everything Dinosaur “Locked in Time” book competition is free to enter. All you have to do is visit Everything Dinosaur on Facebook: Everything Dinosaur’s Facebook Page and on the “Locked in Time” competition post at the top of the page, name the two fighting dinosaurs that feature on the front cover, leaving your answer in the comments section below the post.
At midnight (BST) June 17th (2021), the competition closes and shortly afterwards Everything Dinosaur will randomly select a commentator from the list and that lucky person will be sent a copy of this fantastic book.
Please note this competition has now closed.
It would be greatly appreciated if you could give the Everything Dinosaur Facebook page a “like”.
Hurry, the competition closes at midnight (British Summer Time on Thursday 17th June 2021).
Your chance to win a copy of “Locked in Time” by Dean Lomax illustrated by Bob Nicholls. Simply, like our Facebook page and leave a comment naming the two dinosaurs featured on the front cover.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur praised the publication, commenting that this book provided some remarkable insights into modern palaeontology and highlighted some incredible fossil discoveries.
Please note this competition has now closed.
Buy this Book!
You are most welcome to enter the Everything Dinosaur Facebook competition. One lucky entrant is going to win a copy of “Locked in Time”, however, if you can’t wait, then you can pick up this exciting publication at Columbia University Press here: Buy “Locked in Time” here just type the word “Lomax” into the website search box and you will be taken to the area of the site that features the books written by Dr Lomax.
Everything Dinosaur on YouTube
The Everything Dinosaur YouTube channel features hundreds of videos of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. It provides news of forthcoming model releases, competitions, updates on research, fossil discoveries and allows dinosaur fans and model collectors to influence production runs and new figures.
Tomorrow, June 1st, marks the official start of summer in the UK. The weather for a change is behaving itself and #JurassicJune is trending on social media. Everything Dinosaur is expecting stock of Beasts of the Mesozoic Wave 1 ceratopsians and more Beasts of the Mesozoic “raptors” to be delivered to their warehouse along with more Rebor figures and possibly some new PNSO models too.
It is going to be a busy few weeks for team members, but perhaps there will be a little time to plan some fossil collecting expeditions. COVID-19 restrictions in England could be revised with some restrictions being lifted in June. This could permit group fossil hunting trips.
Will you find a fossil at Lyme Regis? The warmer weather and the possibility of COVID-19 restrictions being lifted in England could permit lots of fossil hunting trips including fossil hunting on the famous “Jurassic Coast” of southern England. The photograph was taken at Monmouth Beach which lies to the west of the Dorset town of Lyme Regis. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Fossil Hunting Trips – Some Safety Tips
If you are planning to visit the coast and to do some fossil hunting, here are some safety tips:
Always stay away from the cliffs, rock falls can be common.
Do not climb on the cliffs or any recent landslips/mudflows.
Tell a responsible person where you are going and when you will return.
Have a mobile phone handy in case of emergencies.
Beware of the threat of landslides, especially after the recent heavy rain.
Note the tide times particularly high tide and take the advice of the local coastguard etc.
Aim to collect fossils on a falling tide, be aware of the incoming tide especially around headlands where you could easily get cut off and stranded.
In rough weather, be aware of strong winds and high waves and the fact that the footing underneath might be slippery.
Wear suitable clothing and shoes, sunscreen might prove very sensible too.
Three excellent guides have been published about fossil hunting on the Dorset coast. Titles by Steve Snowball and Craig Chivers. Books such as these published by Siri Scientific Press are essential reading for the serious fossil collector. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
If you are looking to acquire some books about fossil hunting, then check out the range of publications from Siri Scientific Press: Books About Fossils and Fossil Hunting.
Some Advice When Collecting Fossils
Do not collect or hammer into the cliffs, rocky ledges or other geological features.
The best and safest place to find fossils is on the beach where the sea has washed away soft clay and mud – let nature do some work for you.
Take a fossil hunting guide with you, such as one of the books in the photograph (above).
Keep collecting to a minimum, don’t be greedy, perhaps select a few specimens at the end of the session to take home.
Avoid removing “in situ” material be content with a photograph, leave the fossils where they are for someone else to enjoy.
Do not collect from buildings or walls. Take care not to undermine fences, bridges stone walls etc.
Take your litter and other rubbish home with you.
Observe all notices and signs, some land is privately owned and fossil collecting is not permitted without prior approval.
With the start of official summer time here in the UK, there are going to be a lot of people planning trips to the seaside and perhaps they will go on a fossil hunt or two. Hopefully, these tips will help them to keep safe and allow the hobby of fossil collecting to continue without causing harm to others or the environment.
A visit to the North Yorkshire coast on fossil collecting expedition. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
There have been so many new model announcements made by PNSO in the last few weeks that model collectors can be forgiven for overlooking some of the recently introduced figures from this Chinese manufacturer. Take for example, Bart the Pinacosaurus. Pinacosaurus (P. grangeri) might not be the most famous member of the Ankylosauridae family, but Pinacosaurus is well-known in China, it has featured in the illustrations of prehistoric life by Zhao Chuang and PNSO introduced a model of this armoured dinosaur in early 2021.
A wonderful model of an armoured dinosaur. The recently introduced Bart the Pinacosaurus. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Why Bart?
PNSO have given their prehistoric animals in their rapidly expanding mid-size model range nicknames. This is a trend that they have followed since their very first replicas came out. Team members are not sure whether there is actually any logic applied when it comes to naming their figures, after all, we have recently announced “Jeff” the Kronosaurus: PNSO to Add “Jeff” the Kronosaurus.
As for Bart, we don’t know why the Pinacosaurus figure was given this moniker, we thought that “Granger” would have been more suitable in honour of the American palaeontologist Walter Wallis Granger, who discovered the first fossils of Pinacosaurus in 1923.
The PNSO Pinacosaurus in lateral view. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
A Photogenic Ankylosaur
The Pinacosaurus replica is beautifully sculpted and typifies the quality associated with this mid-size model line. Whilst working in the studio, we took the opportunity to take some more photographs of this dinosaur model, the colouration of which reminds us of the Mountain Devil lizard from Australia.
A close view of the front of the Pinacosaurus from PNSO (Bart the Pinacosaurus). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
We were able to take several pictures of the figure, including in dorsal view so the chosen colour scheme could be clearly seen.
As well as dorsal views, we wanted to depict the underside of the figure, complete with that very important CE mark (conformité européenne). After all, to a discerning dinosaur model collector it matters what a dinosaur’s undercarriage looks like.
PNSO Bart the Pinacosaurus dinosaur model (ventral view). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur praised the Pinacosaurus figure and congratulated PNSO for wanting to add figures of more obscure prehistoric animals to their range.
This month (May 2021), has seen yet another scientific paper published describing a new species of mosasaur from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco. The newly described Pluridens serpentis reminds us that these whale-sized animals were related to snakes and lizards (Squamata). It may have sensed its marine environment in a similar way to extant sea snakes.
A life reconstruction of the Moroccan mosasaur Pluridens serpentis. The orbits (eye sockets), were disproportionately small when compared to other mosasaurs, it also had very sensitive jaws that were capable of helping it to make sense of its environment (as indicated by numerous neurovascular foramina on the premaxillae). It may have specialised in hunting prey in deep water, or in poorly lit habitats.Picture credit: Andrey Atuchin.
Morocco a Hot Bed of Late Cretaceous Mosasaurs
Mosasaurs were the last, great group of marine reptiles to evolve. They originated in the early Late Cretaceous and they were around for about 20 million years, a much shorter temporal range than other marine reptiles from the Mesozoic such as the ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. However, they were extremely successful and globally widespread with more than 40 different genera described.
The extensive phosphate beds of the Ouled Abdoun Basin in northern Morocco have proved to be a hot bed of mosasaur fossil remains. Thirteen mosasaur genera have been named and described from these Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) deposits to date. For example, Everything Dinosaur wrote about the discovery of the specialised piscivore Gavialimimus almaghribensis in October 2020: Another New Species of Mosasaur from Morocco.
Based on Two Complete Skulls and Referred Jaw Material
Writing in the academic journal “Cretaceous Research”, scientists including Dr Nick Longrich (University of Bath), describe P. serpentis based on two complete skulls and referred jaw material. The skulls imply a total body length of around 6 to 8 metres, but the jaw material found indicates that Pluridens could have grown much larger, perhaps as big as 10 metres in length.
It had long, slender jaws lined with over a hundred tiny snake-like teeth which were well-adapted to grabbing small fish and squid. When compared to other mosasaurs, Pluridens had relatively small eyes, suggesting it had poor vision. It probably relied on other senses to understand its environment and to hunt. The upper snout (premaxilla), had dozens of openings for nerves (neurovascular foramina), hinting at the ability to hunt by sensing water movements and changes in pressure. These nerves may have been sensitive to tiny variations in water pressure, an adaptation seen in sea snakes.
The prepared skull of the newly described Moroccan mosasaur Pluridens serpentis. Picture credit: Dr Nick Longrich.
Lead author of the study, Dr Longrich, (senior lecturer at the Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath), commented:
“Typically, when animals evolve small eyes, it’s because they’re relying more heavily on other senses. If it wasn’t using the eyes, then it’s very likely that it was using the tongue to hunt, like a snake. Many aquatic snakes and lizards – sea snakes and water monitors flick their forked tongues underwater, using chemical cues to track their prey. Mosasaurs would have resembled whales and dolphins, so it’s tempting to assume they lived like them. But they’re very different beasts – they’re huge lizards – so they probably acted like them.”
Thick, Robust and Heavy Jawbones
The researchers, who include scientists from the Natural History Museum of Sorbonne University (France), the University Cadi Ayyad in Marrakech and the OCP Group S. A. (both in Morocco), noted that the dentary (lower jaw bone) becomes massive and robust in the largest individuals, suggesting sexual selection and perhaps sexual dimorphism. In some species of extant beaked whales, the males use their jaws in combat (intraspecific combat). It is postulated that male Pluridens behaved in a similar way with the mandibles possibly functioning for combat as in modern beaked whales and some lizards such as Komodo dragons.
A close-up view of the jaws of Pluridens showing the fang-like teeth and small holes in the jaw bones (foramina) – openings for nerves, hinting at the ability to hunt by sensing water movements and changes in pressure. Picture credit: Dr Nick Longrich.
Pluridens serpentis
The newly described Pluridens serpentis lends weight to the theory that mosasaurs were continuing to specialise and diversify until the very end of the Cretaceous. It is the thirteenth species of mosasaur to be identified from Morocco and very probably not the last. Team members at Everything Dinosaur are looking forward to the publication of future scientific papers, once again highlighting the remarkable diversity of North African mosasaurs during the Maastrichtian faunal stage of the Cretaceous.
The scientific paper: “Pluridens serpentis, a new mosasaurid (Mosasauridae: Halisaurinae) from the Maastrichtian of Morocco and implications for mosasaur diversity” by Nicholas R. Longrich, Nathalie Bardet, Fatima Khaldoune, Oussama Khadiri Yazami and Nour-Eddine Jalil published in Cretaceous Research.
PNSO will add a 1:35 scale model of a Kronosaurus to their scientific art range of figures. The marine reptile figure entitled Jeff the Kronosaurus will be in stock at Everything Dinosaur later in the summer (2021).
PNSO Jeff the Kronosaurus – a close-up view of the mouth and a full body shot showing the new for 2021 marine reptile model.
Two Distinctive Kronosaurus Species
This monstrous short-necked pliosaur measured around ten metres in length. It was a fearsome, apex predator of Early Cretaceous seas (Aptian to Albian faunal stages of the Early Cretaceous) and two species have been named. Kronosaurus queenslandicus was formally named and described in 1924 and this Australian species was joined by Kronosaurus boyacensis from Columbia which was named in 1992.
Swimming into view the PNSO Kronosaurus marine reptile model (Jeff the Kronosaurus)
Colouration of a Killer Whale
The new for 2021 Jeff the Kronosaurus model has a dark topside and a contrasting lighter, almost white shading underneath. Like extant Orcas (Orcinius orca), this colouration would help to break-up this predator’s outline in the water. The lighter underside would have been difficult to spot when viewed from below against a sunlit water surface. The dark markings on the top of the body, would have camouflaged Kronosaurus and made it difficult to pick out from the murky depths when viewed from above in the water column.
The colouration of Kronosaurus is unknown, but team members at Everything Dinosaur recognise that the design team at PNSO have been influenced by living marine animals when it came to Jeff’s colouration.
The new for 2021 PNSO Kronosaurus marine reptile model.
Kronosaurus Model Measurements
The Kronosaurus model measures 24.6 cm in length and it is 13.1 cm wide across the rear flippers. Although the figure is stated as being in 1:35 scale, based on these measurements, the PNSO model represents and animal around 8.6 metres in length.
PNSO Jeff the Kronosaurus (ventral view). In a ventral view the stunning counter shading on the model can be clearly seen.
In Stock at Everything Dinosaur in the Summer of 2021
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that PNSO intended to bring out a lot of prehistoric animal figures in 2021. Jeff the Kronosaurus will likely be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in the summer.
This new PNSO figure joins Levy the Eurhinosaurus and Paulwin the Dakosaurus marine reptile figures that were introduced by PNSO in 2019. As with the Dakosaurus figure, Jeff the PNSO Kronosaurus has an articulated jaw.
The new for 2021 Kronosaurus model will have an articulated lower jaw.The product packaging for the PNSO Kronosaurus figure. Beautiful artwork from Zhao Chuang.
Expected to be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in the summer of 2021, Jeff the Kronosaurus marine reptile model is a fantastic addition to the PNSO model range. To view the PNSO models and figures available from Everything Dinosaur: PNSO Age of Dinosaurs.
Everything Dinosaur has another fantastic, prehistoric animal themed giveaway. We have a copy of the new book “Locked in Time” by palaeontologist Dr Dean Lomax with illustrations by Bob Nicholls and we are giving you the chance to win it.
Please note this competition has now closed.
Your chance to win a copy of “Locked in Time” by Dean Lomax illustrated by Bob Nicholls. Simply, like our Facebook page and leave a comment naming the two dinosaurs featured on the front cover.
Win a Copy of “Locked in Time”
The internationally recognised, award-winning palaeontologist Dean Lomax has spent a decade researching and writing “Locked in Time” which looks at prehistoric animal behaviour that can be discerned from extraordinary fossil evidence. This fantastic publication is illustrated by the very talented Bob Nicholls and Everything Dinosaur is giving you the chance to win a copy in our free to enter competition.
All you have to do to enter is visit Everything Dinosaur on Facebook “Like” our page, then leave a comment on the competition post naming the two dinosaurs illustrated by Bob Nicholls that feature on the front cover.
Or, if you are not on Facebook, just leave a comment on this blog post to enter.
Please note this competition has now closed.
On our Facebook “Locked in Time” competition post leave a comment naming the two dinosaurs on the book’s front cover. For example, if you think that they are Triceratops and T. rex put these answers in a comment under the post.
Win a copy of “Locked in Time” in Everything Dinosaur’s free to enter competition.
