Everything Dinosaur Blog - Dinosaur Models

9 11, 2009

Evidence of Dinosaurs on New Zealand’s South Island

By Mike|2023-03-03T17:29:18+00:00November 9th, 2009|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Dinosaur Footprints found on New Zealand’s South Island

Fossil evidence of dinosaurs discovered in New Zealand. Dinosaur footprints have been discovered in New Zealand.

New Zealand a land of Maoris, great rugby, sheep and beautiful landscapes has some of the most ancient fern forests of anywhere in the world. Many people know that much of the Peter Jackson directed trilogy “The Lord of the Rings” was filmed in New Zealand, the mountains and lakes providing an ideal backdrop for orcs, hobbits, wizards and other such strange creatures. New Zealand provided a number of locations for the ground breaking BBC TV series “Walking with Dinosaurs”, but the dinosaur fossil record for that country is extremely poor.

Dinosaurs

Until recently, dinosaurs were known from only a few fragmentary fossils, all of which were associated with North Island. To read an article about the discovery of titanosaur fossils in New Zealand: Titanosaur Fossil Discovered in New Zealand.

Scientists have discovered the first evidence that dinosaurs roamed the South Island of New Zealand with 70-million-year-old footprints found in six locations. These are believed to be the first dinosaur footprints found in New Zealand. For scientist Greg Browne (a sedimentologist), who made the discoveries this marks a special day for him, as he has proved that dinosaurs roamed parts of South Island more than 70 million years ago. As we at Everything Dinosaur, recall, and despite the fact that we would be the first to admit that our knowledge of the geology of New Zealand is very poor. By the Late Cretaceous, the time these prints were made, New Zealand had been separated from Australia for many millions of years.

It was an island but it looked nothing like the New Zealand seen on maps today. Rising sea levels and volcanic activity has dramatically altered the shape of the country over the late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Indeed, as far as we know, most of the country was under the sea for most of the time from the Late Cretaceous until the present day.

The prints, were found in the remote Whanganui Inlet in the northern part of South Island , near to the settlement of Nelson.

Dinosaur Footprints

Pictures show soft debris around a dinosaur footprint, which can be made out at the bottom right-hand side of the photograph, is being brushed away.

The prints are spread over an area of approximately 10 kilometres and in one location there are up to twenty individual impressions. It is believed the prints belong to a type of long-necked dinosaur a titanosaur. Titanosaurs were among some of the largest animals to ever live and are believed to be the largest animals ever to walk on land. Greg Browne and his team cannot be certain as to which type of dinosaur species or genus made the prints but the shape and size of the impressions does indicate a small titanosaur of some sort.

An Illustration of a Typical Titanosaur (Saltasaurus)

A drawing of Saltasaurus.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view scale models of titanosaurs and other prehistoric animals, take a look at the Wild Safari Prehistoric World model series: Safari Ltd. Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models.

Aware of the controversial nature of his discovery, Greg carefully considered all possible geological and biological explanations for the features in the rock and was able to rule them out one by one, before coming to his conclusion. His investigations involved him comparing the New Zealand impressions with known dinosaur footprints in similar aged rocks from elsewhere in the world.

The footprints were made in beach sands and were probably quickly covered and preserved by mud from subsequent tides.

Greg went on to comment:

“What makes this discovery special is the unique preservation of the footprints in an environment where they could easily have been destroyed by waves, tides, or wind.”

As with much of New Zealand, north-west Nelson was largely submerged between 70 and 20 million years ago and the footprints would have been covered by hundreds of metres of marine sediments.

However, after the country was uplifted and north-west Nelson emerged from the sea, the overlying sedimentary rock has been eroded away over the past 20 million years to expose the footprints again, thus permitting this sedimentologist and his colleagues the chance to study footprints leading into New Zealand’s ancient past.

For models and replicas of titanosaurs visit the models section of the Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Figures.

8 11, 2009

Therizinosaurus cheloniformis – What’s in a Name?

By Mike|2023-09-02T06:49:58+01:00November 8th, 2009|Categories: Dinosaur Fans, Educational Activities, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

How did Therizinosaurus cheloniformis get its Name?

One of our team members was asked the other day, why was Therizinosaurus cheloniformis so called, as they thought the Latin word chelonia was to do with turtles and tortoises.

Therizinosaurus cheloniformis

Well, they are quite right chelonia or chelonians refers to the turtles, tortoises and their relatives. They are a very ancient group of reptiles that are not that closely related to the Dinosauria. The difficulties arose when the first fossils of this, until then, unknown and very unusual dinosaur were discovered and studied in 1948. These first fossils consisted of some flattened ribs and parts of the large forelimbs with their huge flat and not that curved claws. The scientists mistakenly ascribed these fossils to a huge turtle-like creature, and this is how a species name for Therizinosaurus came about.

An Illustration of the Bizarre Theropod Therizinosaurus

Puzzling therizinosaurs - a scale drawing of Therizinosaurus. — *Huge “scythe lizard” Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view a model of Therizinosaurus and other dinosaurs including feathered ones: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

It is difficult to believe that this strange herbivore belonged to the same sub-order as Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor (Theropoda), but this is the case.

A Replica of Therizinosaurus cheloniformis

Schleich Therizinosaurus dinosaur model. — *Schleich new Therizinosaurus model.*

For Schleich dinosaur and prehistoric animal figures: Schleich Dinosaur Toys and Figures.

Therizinosaurus cheloniformis was formerly named and described by the famous Russian scientist Evgeny Aleksandrovich Maleev in 1954. Although it had been realised by then that the palaeontologists were dealing with the fossilised remains of a dinosaur the specific name related to turtles was retained.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

7 11, 2009

Dinosaurs at the Movies Some Remarkable Special Effects

By Mike|2024-04-18T07:27:10+01:00November 7th, 2009|Categories: Main Page, Movie Reviews and Movie News|0 Comments

Dinosaurs at the Movies – Spotting the Anomalies in Jurassic Park

Dinosaurs at the movies – Everything Dinosaur team members discuss the dinosaurs and prehistoric animals featured in the Jurassic Park film franchise.

Jurassic Park was released in 1993, directed by Steven Spielberg with a screenplay based on the novel by Michael Crichton, who sadly passed away this time last year. This movie showcased the developments made in CGI (computer generated images) and depicted dinosaurs and pterosaurs with a new realism and accuracy.

However, the film makers did not let the palaeontology get in the way of a great storyline. For several types of prehistoric animal shown in the film and the subsequent sequels, their appearance and behaviour stretched plausibility to a great extent and some sequences and dinosaur scenes were given what might be termed the “Hollywood treatment”. For example, an adult Tyrannosaurus rex able to chase down a speeding jeep, Dilophosaurus having venom and being able to project it in a similar way to a spitting Cobra. These attributes, whether it is giving T. rex tremendous speed or empowering Dilophosaurus with poison glands are simply not legitimised by what is seen in the fossil record.

Dinosaurs at the Movies

Take for example, the Tyrannosaurus rex chasing Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill et al in the jeep chase scene. Recent studies using advanced computer modelling techniques from scientists at Manchester University has calculated a T. rex top speed to be around 18 mph, about as fast as a professional footballer. That is still fast for an animal in excess of 13 metres long and weighing 5 tonnes or more, but hardly fast enough to catch a speeding jeep. Even on wet, slippery ground a four-wheel drive jeep could speed away from a Tyrannosaurus in second gear.

To read the article on the running speeds of dinosaurs, based on the studies undertaken by the University of Manchester team: So Tyrannosaurus rex could chase down David Beckham.

Perhaps the best known, anomaly regarding how dinosaurs were depicted in the Jurassic Park films concerns the main monster villains of the movies – the “Raptors”. Velociraptors are depicted in the film and these creatures appear about as tall as a person and more than 3 metres long. Velociraptor mongoliensis is one of the better known dromaeosaurs, it was much smaller, standing no more than one metre tall, and an estimated 1.5 metres long, the tail making up a considerable proportion of this animal’s total body length. It may have weighed less than 15 kilogrammes, the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park were scaled up and as a result they looked all the more fearsome and ferocious. Fossils of Velociraptor have been found to date in Asia, the United States does have its very dinosaur candidate for a 3-4 metre long fearsome, “Raptor” movie star – Deinonychus. Known from several specimens, this fearsome hunter was similar in size to the Velociraptors shown in the film, there has even been fossil evidence found indicating that Deinonychus hunted in packs, a behaviour frequently illustrated by the Velociraptors in the Jurassic Park trilogy. Deinonychus was named and described by the American palaeontologist John Ostrom in 1969. It was Ostrom who was largely responsible for re-writing scientific thinking and portraying certain types of dinosaur as active, agile, warm-blooded creatures. Ironically, John Ostrom was a mentor and close colleague of Dr Bob Bakker who acted as one of the main scientific advisors to the movie makers.

The Filming of Jurassic Park

During the filming of the first Jurassic Park, scientists discovered the fossilised remains of the largest known genus of dromaeosaur in the fossil record. In 1991, the fossilised remains of a fierce hunter, perhaps measuring as much as 6.5 metres long were unearthed in a quarry in Utah. This animal was formerly named and described in 1993, it is called Utahraptor.

A Replica of the Giant Dromoaeosaurid Utahraptor

Depicting an agile, active dinosaur. The Rebor Utahraptor model.

To view the Rebor range of models and figures: Rebor Models and Figures.

Despite the exaggerated size of the Velociraptors and other anomalies seen in the Jurassic Park movies, they are immensely enjoyable and broke a number of box office records. Strange things do happen in nature, no one has ever seen a dinosaur and the technical consultants on the film such as Dr Bob Bakker remain highly respected and admired palaeontologists. After all, it has recently been proven that the largest lizard on Earth, the Komodo Dragon has a venomous bite. So if reptiles around today can still startle scientists, you can bet the fossil record of the Dinosauria has a few surprises buried beneath our feet.

6 11, 2009

Interview with Everything Dinosaur about Jurassic Wars

By Mike|2023-03-03T17:32:56+00:00November 6th, 2009|Categories: Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

Jurassic Wars – The Everything Dinosaur Interview

Jurassic Wars the dice based dinosaur combat game from those clever people at Dice Maestro has just won the prestigious Toy Talk product of the year, in the board and card games product category. Like all the products featured on the Everything Dinosaur website, this dinosaur themed game went through our testing programme. The comments and feedback from our testers and reviewers helps to decide what goes into our shop.

Jurassic Wars

As well as providing a fun, combat game involving lots of dinosaurs, (we really liked the computer generated pictures on the game cards), the game designers have tried hard to incorporate elements of the latest thinking about dinosaurs into the product. The is much to praise this Jurassic Wars dinosaur dice game.

The Award Winning Jurassic Wars Game

To view the wide range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal themed gifts available from Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

The Interview

We were asked to provide some feedback on Jurassic Wars and the interview is reproduced below.

1). Why do you think dinosaurs are so popular with children?

Dinosaurs seem to fascinate children and grown ups alike, there is nothing around like them today and as a group, dinosaurs thrived for over 150 million years. On average, a new dinosaur species is named and described every six weeks. Remote areas of the world are being explored for fossils, places such as Antarctica and the Australian outback, this exploration, coupled with the development of innovative technologies to study already prepared specimens, is helping scientists to learn so much more about these prehistoric animals.

2). Does Jurassic Wars help inform and educate young people about dinosaurs?

Jurassic Wars features twenty different dinosaurs, some of the most famous dinosaurs are included in the playing cards, animals such as the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex, and Megalosaurus, the first dinosaur to be formerly named and scientifically described. However, Dice Maestro is keen to include representatives of less well known dinosaur genera, animals such as the bizarre Amargasaurus from South America. By playing the game, children can gain an understanding of the extraordinary diversity of the dinosaurs. It is also pleasing to see that a pronunciation guide is provided for every Dinocard, that attention to detail was noted by our product testers and is bound to be appreciated by mums and dads.

3). You Queried the Exact Duration of the Geological Time Periods Featured in Jurassic Wars – why is this important?

The Game Period cards on the timeline deck, feature two geological periods, these are divided into three chunks of time which are relevant to game play. Some leeway is given with regards to the start and ending of each geological period, due to the immense difficulties in correlating information relating to the accurate date of strata and the analysis of fossils they contain. However, most palaeontologists agree that the Jurassic period lasted from around 201 million years ago to approximately 144 million years ago, with the Cretaceous covering the time between 144 million years ago and the end of the Mesozoic Era approximately 66 million years ago

Defining geological time periods is the task of the International Commission on Stratigraphy; any changes proposed by this particular scientific body are then approved and ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences, an international non-governmental organisation. Working to the same set of rules when it comes to defining geological time scales, helps scientists’ co-ordinate research and aids the consistency of reporting.

The geological time periods in Jurassic Wars encourage debate, allows questions to be asked and gives us the opportunity to explain the concept of geological time.

4). Some of the stunning computer generated dinosaur images show feathered dinosaurs, what is the significance of this?

A number of Dinocards in Jurassic Wars such as the cards representing Dromaeosaurus and Deinonychus show these animals covered in downy feathers. These illustrations reflect current scientific thinking that many smaller, active dinosaurs, especially theropods (a group of dinosaurs that includes the bipedal meat-eaters) were warm-blooded and covered with insulating feathers.

Several fossils of a sub-group of theropods, the Maniraptorans (the name means hand-snatchers) that includes the so-called “raptor dinosaurs” with the killer claws on the hind feet such as Deinonychus and Dromaeosaurus, indicate the presence of feathers. Scientists have put forward the theory that many more, small, meat-eating dinosaurs were feathered, but only a few fossils have been sufficiently well-preserved to leave any trace of feathers in the specimen. Feathered dinosaurs may have actually been quite common. Recent discoveries indicate that a number of small plant-eating dinosaurs may have also been feathered and feathered dinosaur fossils have been found in rocks dating back to the Middle Jurassic.

5). How do we know that dinosaurs fought each other?

We can observe animals fighting each other today, either different species fighting such as meat-eaters attacking plant-eaters (we call this interspecific combat) or animals of the same species competing for mates, or for social status in a herd (we call this intraspecific combat). Dinosaurs competed with each other, in the same way that animals alive today do. A close examination of fossilised bones can provide evidence of the injuries that dinosaurs suffered. For example, the lower left leg of the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton on display at the Field Museum in Chicago, show signs of a break that subsequently healed.

It has been suggested that this injury was caused when this particular T. rex was bashed on the leg by the massive tail club of an Ankylosaurus. Both Tyrannosaurus rex and Ankylosaurus are featured in Jurassic Wars and there is some evidence in the fossil record to support the theory that these two, huge Late Cretaceous dinosaurs may have battled it out in a life or death struggle.

5 11, 2009

Birth of a Dynasty – Earliest Ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex Described in New Study

By Mike|2024-04-18T07:18:41+01:00November 5th, 2009|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

CT scans Help Unlock Tyrannosaur Ancestry at Natural History Museum

When we are asked about the best place to find a new species of dinosaur, an answer we often give is to look more closely at fossils already in museum collections. Often, old finds, if subjected to new research techniques can reveal some surprises. This was exactly what happened when a beautifully preserved partial skull and jaws of a meat-eating dinosaur, originally excavated nearly 100 years ago; turned out to be a candidate for the earliest ancestor of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex.

The fossilised remains, the oldest-known relative of the mighty tyrannosaurs discovered to date, were found in 1910, during the excavations for a new reservoir near the town of Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire. The skull was found in rocks which form part of the Great Oolite limestone formation of the area. These rocks were laid down in a marine environment and along with the Inferior Oolite limestone formation they make up a good proportion of the Cotswolds. The county of Gloucestershire in south-west England is one of the most geologically diverse of all the English counties with outcrops of Cambrian, Devonian, Permian, Triassic and Jurassic aged rocks represented.

Tyrannosaur Ancestry

One of our team members was able to visit a fossiliferous outcrop earlier this year, dating from the Jurassic, Cleeve Hill.

To read the article on fossil hunting at Cleeve Hill: Fossil Hunting at Cleeve Hill.

Fossil Hunting at Cleeve Hill

The “Hideaway” at Cleeve Hill. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The lower portions of the skull including teeth are all the remains that have been found of this animal, but other fossils ascribed to theropods have been associated with this area. Since this fossil was found in marine strata, it is very likely that either the animal or its carcase was washed out to sea, perhaps by a flash flood before sinking to the bottom and being quickly covered in fine sediment.

A number of terrestrial animals are known from fossils that have been discovered in marine deposits, recently the femur of a long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic, a Cetiosauriscus was pieced together from remains found in a Gloucestershire quarry.

To read the article about the recent Cetiosauriscus find: Cetiosauriscus Leg Bone found in Gloucestershire Quarry.

Examining the Skull

The skull was believed to represent a new species of a megalosaur type dinosaur, it was named as Proceratosaurus bradleyi, shortly after its discovery. The fossil skull was presented to the Natural History Museum in 1942 and despite representing one of the best preserved early theropod skulls in the collection, it was not studied in more detail until early in 2009 when a joint German/British team gained permission to subject the skull to CT scans to help reveal more of its internal structure.

Pictures show the fully prepared skull (the original preparation of the specimen has been augmented with more of the matrix removed to help improve the research). The skull is placed facing to the right and the sharp, backward pointing teeth in the jaws have now been fully exposed. The upper portion of the fossil was destroyed by an irregular fissure in the rock, so no other portions of the skull relating to this specimen have been found.

In the original 20th century paper, the dinosaur was identified as a megalosaur, known as a taxonomic waste basket, due to the amount of miscellaneous theropod remains associated with it. The original paper commented on the crushed and flattened state of the fossilised bones, but remarked how fragile, light and delicate the skull was.

The skull seems full of holes, and to the casual observer this is seen as something of a surprise, since they imagine meat-eating dinosaurs to have huge, heavy powerful jaws and heads. Theropod skulls were filled with air sacs, this would have helped to make them lighter. The first hole, above the snout and completely cleared of matrix is the naris (nasal area). A small, triangular bony projection can be seen on the top. This is the bony core of a nose horn, this is what gave this dinosaur its name (Proceratosaurus means “first horned lizard”).

The next opening in the skull is the large antorbital fenestra, this is found behind the naris and in front of the eye socket or orbit. The hole towards the rear of the skull behind the eye is called the laterotemporal fenestra.

The skull measures less than 30 cm long, it probably belonged to an individual no more than 3 metres long, twelve times smaller than its great descendant T. rex.

The fossil was sent to Austin, Texas where it was scanned using CT technology (computed tomography), to create X-rays and then a 3-dimensional computer image to reveal the internal structure of the fossil. The scientists discovered that the teeth, jaws and braincase resembled those of Tyrannosaurus rex, indicating that this humble, Gloucestershire predator may be an ancestor of the giant meat-eaters that survived to the very end of the Cretaceous.

Commenting on the relationship between Proceratosaurus and T. rex, Dr Angela Milner of the Natural History Museum in London stated:

“It was quite a surprise when our analysis showed we had the oldest known relative of T. rex.”

She went on to add:

“We care for over nine million fossils here at the Museum and this discovery highlights the importance of museum collections in current and future research. Fossils collected a century ago can now be studied again with the benefit of much greater knowledge of dinosaurs from around the world.”

To aid the scanning process some of the surrounding matrix was removed. As a general rule, the less dense the fossil, the greater the detail that CT scanning can reveal.

Co-author of the study, which has just been published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Dr Oliver Rauhut stated:

“This is still one of the best preserved dinosaur skulls found in Europe. It is really surprising that it has received so little attention since its original description”.

Dr Oliver Rauhut holds dual appointments in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich and the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology. He is regarded as a leading expert on the taxonomic relationships between theropods.

The use of modern techniques to study fossils found in the 19th and 20th centuries will probably lead to many more amazing discoveries, as Dr Rauhut explained:

“I’m sure that many more tyrannosaurs are still out there to be found. I think we have just scratched the tip of the iceberg so far.”

Perhaps such new research will help to produce a more accurate cladogram of the relationships between members of the Theropoda.

To view models of dinosaurs such as Proceratosaurus and other early theropods: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Prehistoric Life Models.

4 11, 2009

Bristol to get its Unique Dinosaur Thecodontosaurus to Rise Again Thanks to Grant

By Mike|2024-04-18T07:18:01+01:00November 4th, 2009|Categories: Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

Heritage Lottery Provides Funds to Resurrect Thecodontosaurus

A grant of £295,000 to scientists at Bristol University will help them prepare the fossilised remains of one of the earliest known dinosaurs – Thecodontosaurus. The grant, provided by Heritage Lottery Funding will permit the scientists and researchers to properly prepare and remove the fossil bones of this 2 metre long dinosaur from the surrounding rock matrix, it is hoped that when the laboratory work has been completed a special display can be developed for the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

Thecodontosaurus (Thecodontosaurus antiquus)

Thecodontosaurus (Thecodontosaurus antiquus), is an early dinosaur in every sense of the word. It was a primitive sauropodomorph, the first group of dinosaur herbivores known in the fossil record. It also has the distinction of being only the fourth dinosaur to be formerly named and described. Named by the British scientists Riley and Stutchbury in 1836, Thecodontosaurus was not originally classed as a dinosaur by Sir Richard Owen when he named the Dinosauria.

This little animal was thought too small to be classed in the same group as the giant Megalosaurus, the armoured Hylaeosaurus and the huge Iguanodon. Although, Thecodontosaurus, like most early dinosaurs was small compared to later types, the size estimates of the first members of Dinosauria were inaccurate and this may have clouded Sir Richard Owen’s judgement somewhat. Thecodontosaurus had to wait until 1870, when after a review by Thomas Huxley, it was finally acknowledged to be a member of the Dinosauria.

The first fossils of Thecodontosaurus were found in 1834, at quarry sites surrounding the English city of Bristol. Hence this little dinosaurs nickname, it is often referred to as “Bristol’s Dinosaur”. Unfortunately, much of this early material was destroyed when the Bristol City Museum was bombed during WWII. Fossils found during the 1970s will be at the heart of this study, officially called the “Bristol Dinosaur Project”.

Now thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund grant, many of the remaining fossils of this dinosaur are going to be prepared and assembled for display.

Pictures show the block of stone that contains the fossilised bones of this little dinosaur, the drawing in the background is an artist’s impression of Thecodontosaurus.

Professor Mike Benton, from the University of Bristol, one of the world’s leading experts on dinosaurs, commented:

“This award from Heritage Lottery Fund will mean that the preparation laboratory can be expanded and a specialist technician employed to oversee the removal of bones from the rock. “

It is expected that the work will last three years and result in the assembled skeleton going on display in the city.

Professor Benton went on to add:

“It will also mean more volunteers can be recruited and trained in the extraction process and there will be opportunities for young people from local schools to learn skills in palaeontology and conservation.”

Bristol’s Dinosaur

The fossil record of the primitive sauropodomorphs is extremely poor, even when compared to other, later types of dinosaur herbivore. It is hoped that the new study will help to provide more information on this particular genus of dinosaur. The matrix (rock surrounding the fossil bones), will also help scientists to piece together a puzzle surrounding the type of environment in which this little dinosaur lived approximately 215 million years ago. An earlier study of microfossils by Bristol University aided by researchers at Southampton University, indicated that this dinosaur lived in an environment that consisted of small tropical islands surrounded by a shallow sea.

Animals that live on islands tend to develop into smaller forms, due to the lack of resources and this may help explain why Thecodontosaurus was relatively small compared to other sauropodomorphs around at the time such as Sellosaurus.

To read an earlier article on the research into the habitat of early European sauropodomorphs: Thecodontosaurus, new study into Bristol’s Dinosaur.

The outlines of these ancient tropical islands can still be seen today in the shape and geology of the land – Bristol’s Downs was one such island.

The Thecodontosaurus fossils also posed a bit of a mystery when they were first discovered. The remains were found in Upper Triassic aged rocks that had infilled much earlier Carboniferous limestone formations. It is thought that over time the porous limestones became riddled with caves and chasms which may have provided shelter for dinosaurs. As underground caverns collapsed swallow holes would have been formed and vegetation would have quickly grown up around such holes, encouraged by the moist air rising from the caves below.

Herbivorous dinosaurs such as Thecodontosaurus would have been attracted to such areas and some may have fallen into the holes and perished. The rubble and bones on the cave floor eventually became more compacted and this explains why Triassic dinosaurs are found entombed in Triassic rocks surrounded by much earlier Carboniferous limestone.

To view replicas of Triassic animals including early dinosaurs: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Models.

Nerys Watts, head of Heritage Lottery Funding in the South West of England said:

“The remains of the Bristol Dinosaur are of international scientific and heritage importance, offering a chance for us to further understand what our world was like 200 million years ago. Alongside the scientific research, this project will enable local people to learn about one of the city’s most important, but least well known, residents.”

3 11, 2009

New Armoured Dinosaur Named and Described

By Mike|2022-12-31T12:24:38+00:00November 3rd, 2009|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

New Ankylosaur Genus Named and Described – Tatankacephalus

A husband and wife team of palaeontologists, have found a new species of armoured dinosaur, an ankylosaur, that may represent a link between primitive thyreophorans and more advanced members of this dinosaur group.

Armoured Dinosaur

This heavily armoured beastie, perhaps with a characteristic ankylosaur tail-club swishing to and fro, inhabited what is now Montana in the United States approximately 112 million years ago (Aptian/Albian faunal stages). Although entirely herbivorous this “walking tank” would have been a very formidable looking animal, covered in bony armour and scutes, perhaps exceeding 7 metres in length and weighing 2,500 kilogrammes or more.

The husband and wife team of Bill and Kris Parsons research associates at the Buffalo Museum of Science in New York, on a expedition to Montana in 1997 spotted part of the dinosaur’s skull eroding out of rock on a hillside. Over the next few years they kept returning to this location and excavating the site. To date they have retrieved almost all of the skull, scutes (amour plating), ribs, vertebra and other bone fragments that may represent part of a limb bone.

The skull material is particularly important, permitting scientist to study this new find in relation to other known ankylosaur genera. The findings have been published in the Canadian scientific publication the “Journal of Earth Sciences”. The remains have been declared a holotype for a new genus of armoured dinosaur Tatankacephalus cooneyorum. The name has been derived from the local Indian name for bison and the Greek for head. The specific element of the name honours the family John Patrick Cooney, an important name in 19th century New York business circles.

A Replica of a Typical Armoured Dinosaur (Anklyosauridae)

The heavily armoured Ankylosaurus replica from Nanmu Studio (Mace Red). A replica of an iconic armoured dinosaur. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture shows a typical ankylosaur from the Nanmu Studio Jurassic Series range: Nanmu Studio Jurassic Series Dinosaur Models.

The armour on the backs, tails and flanks of these dinosaurs was made from keratin, the same protein that makes up the beaks of birds and shells of chelonians.

Tatankacephalus cooneyorum

Commenting on the unveiling of the new dinosaur, Bill Parsons stated:

“They [ankylosaurs] were big dinosaur versions of a Sherman tank. They were armoured and they withstood whatever came at them, and they just kept going”.

Analysis of the skull indicates the extent of this animal’s protection, with two sets of horns positioned behind the eye and two thick domes at the back of the skull and thickened areas around the top of the snout and nasal area.

To stay safe from the bigger brutes around, the ankylosaur may have flattened its body on the ground and pulled in its head, where head horns could protect the animal from a nasty neck bite, whilst also protecting its flank, Parsons said. The dinosaur has been beautifully illustrated by Bill Parson who is an experienced scientific illustrator.

The well-preserved skull indicates that this particular dinosaur represents a transition from primitive ankylosaurs to more advanced, later ones. Late Cretaceous ankylosaurs had much larger horns on the sides of the cheek and a nasal and snout area that was highly curved. The nasal passages themselves were complicated, perhaps indicating that these animals had a highly developed sense of smell. It has even been suggested that these complex nasal passages may have helped remove moisture from the exhaled breath of these beasts, perhaps an important evolutionary adaptation if these animals lived in dry, arid areas. In contrast with later examples, T. cooneyorum has small horns and only a slightly curved nose.

Commentating on the new ankylosaur, Professor Lawrence Witmer of Ohio University stated:

“For years, Bill and Kris have been collecting fossils from a critical time in Earth’s history and their hard work has paid off. This is a really important find and gives us a clearer view of the evolution of the armoured dinosaurs”.

3 11, 2009

Terrible Tyrannosaurs Grew up Fighting

By Mike|2023-03-03T17:39:02+00:00November 3rd, 2009|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Evidence of Severe Facial Wound in Juvenile T. rex

Facial wounds discovered in the fossil specimen of a juvenile T. rex.

Palaeontologists are aware of the tough lives of tyrannosaurs as they have been able to describe and infer a number of injuries as preserved in fossilised bone. This pathology provides an insight into the lives and behaviours of these apex predators. Being a T. rex was certainly tough, not only did they have to contend with formidable prey animals such as the ceratopsians and hadrosaurs, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that these predators battled it out amongst themselves.

This type of conflict when an animal from one species fights or competes with another animal of the same species is referred to as intraspecific competition. When one considers the terrible wounds inflicted on each other by tyrannosaurs, this phrase seems somewhat inappropriate. These fights were brutal and even juveniles got in on the act. A new study of an immature T. rex skeleton indicates that at some time in its young life, this young Tyrannosaurus suffered a severe bite to the front of its face.

Terrible Tyrannosaurs

In a new study of the fossils of an immature Tyrannosaurus rex, part of the Burpee Museum of Natural History collection in Rockford, Illinois (United States) evidence of a brutal fight between tyrannosaurs has been found. It seems this youngster, got into a fight and suffered a terrible bite on its face, however, since the fossil bones shows signs of healing, it looks as if this particular dinosaur lived to fight another day.

The Mounted Skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex on Display

The skull of the T. rex exhibit on display at Wollaton Hall until August 2022. Palaeontologists have identified facial wounds in tyrannosaurs. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Tyrannosaurus fossil in question, nicknamed Jane (although scientists are not sure whether this animal was a female), was about 11-12 years old when it died. The injury occurred sometime earlier in the animal’s life. This bite was more than a friendly nip, the the maxilla bone (the bone at the front of the snout) and the naris (the bone that leads off the premaxilla towards the back of the skull) have been severely damaged. Indeed, a total of four distinct puncture wounds have been identified.

Juvenile T. rex

Examination of Jane’s bones, unearthed in 2001 in Montana, (United States) showed that the wounds were almost certainly inflicted by another T. rex of about the same age. One explanation for the bite marks on the snout that has been suggested is that may be this T. rex was grabbed by a large crocodile at a waterhole as it came down for a drink. Crocodiles attack large animals such as antelope and zebra in Africa, the heads of these animals are often grabbed by the crocodile as it attacks, perhaps this young T. rex was ambushed by a crocodile as it bent its head down low to gulp some water.

However, researcher Joe Peterson of North Illinois University refuted this hypothesis, stating:

“Only a few animals could have inflicted the wound. A crocodile or an adult T. rex would have left different types of bite marks.”

For Joe Peterson and his colleagues, they believe that the oblong shaped bite marks preserved in the fossil bone indicate that the culprit was another young Tyrannosaurus.

He went on to comment:

‘When we looked at the jaw and teeth of Jane, we realised her bite would have produced a very close match to the injuries on her own face. That leads us to believe she was attacked by a member of the same species that was about the same age.”

“The study of the bite marks on Jane’s face demonstrates that even at a young age this dinosaur was engaging in some pretty serious combat.”

Injuries in Juvenile Tyrannosaurs

Evidence of injuries in tyrannosaur fossils is not unheard of. For example, the fossilised skeleton called “Stan”, a gracile T. rex (museum specimen number STAN-BHI3033) discovered in 1992, shows signs of having had part of the back of the head bitten off. It seems that even this 40 foot long individual got into a fight with an even bigger T. rex.

“Stan” the Gracile T. rex also shows Evidence of Injury

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The University based team believe that in the case of “Jane”, the violence may have been sparked – as it often is today among teenagers – by a territorial ‘turf’ dispute or a simple show of macho dominance. The paper detailing the team’s study is published this month in the scientific journal Palaios.

Co-author Professor Reed Scherer, also from Northern Illinois University added:

What’s unique about this work is we learn something very, very specific about juvenile dinosaur behaviour. This was an animal about the same size that attacked Jane. Whether it was a sibling or from a rival group, we don’t know, but it’s fun to speculate.”

The use of sophisticated computed tomograph (CT) scans to study the bone puncture marks in detail, taken at Rockford Memorial Hospital, confirmed that the puncture marks in Jane’s jaw were consistent with injuries that had healed when the creature was alive.

A Replica of a Juvenile T. rex

A young T. rex.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur stocks a range of tyrannosaur figures including replicas of juvenile tyrannosaurs.

Visit: CollectA Prehistoric Life Figures.

Other apparent bite marks and lesions found on the skulls of adult tyrannosaurs are now believed to have been left by parasites. A paper published recently by a joint Australian and U.S. based group of scientists postulated that the lesions thought to be bite marks were actually caused by a parasite – Trichomonosis. Jane’s scars are different and definitely caused by inflicted injury, said the Illinois researchers.

To read the article on parasites affecting tyrannosaurs: Parasitic Infection Linked to Tyrannosauridae.

2 11, 2009

Staring Open Mouthed at Models

By Mike|2022-12-31T12:08:02+00:00November 2nd, 2009|Categories: Dinosaur Fans, Educational Activities, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

Dinosaur Models – Why are most of them shown with their Mouths Open?

Why do most dinosaur models have their mouths wide open? Animals around today do not walk around with their mouths agape.

When it comes to designing dinosaur and other prehistoric animal models, the artists and sculptors take great care, trying to ensure that their particular model reflects the latest scientific thinking. Staff at Everything Dinosaur get involved in this process and we have been consulted on a number of aspects related to prehistoric animal models; from suggestions as to which models should be made, to advising on anatomical features and colouration. Interestingly, sometimes life can imitate art, for many years we were most insistent that models depicting members of the Pteranodontidae were toothless, now toothed forms of Late Cretaceous pterosaurs have been named and described, muddying the water somewhat.

Dinosaur Models

However, most model makers attempt to depict the animals as accurately as possible, although liberties are taken with a number of bipedal models. For example, to make a dinosaur model that stands on its two hind legs stable; the feet may have to be made slightly over-sized, or the tail position adjusted to give a tripod effect, helping the model stay upright. This is most noticeable in models of dromaeosaurs and maniraptorans. These type of dinosaurs walked on two toes, not the normal theropod three, so feet have to be adjusted accordingly to help the model remain stable.

A Typical Dromaeosaur Model (Big Feet)

Walking on just two toes.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view this Velociraptor model and other theropod dinosaur models: CollectA Prehistoric Life Age of Dinosaurs Models.

Models do get makeovers from time to time, with new colour variants being added. This is a cheap way of refreshing a range without the need to introduce new sculpts. There is nothing wrong with this, as afterall, since pigment rarely fossilises the colour of a prehistoric animal such as a dinosaur is largely speculative.

Dinosaur Replicas

One of the interesting points that we often make to designers is that they are preoccupied with showing the animal with its mouth open. Whether it is a meat-eater such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Allosaurus or even a Sabre-toothed cat, or indeed a herbivore such as Stegosaurus or Triceratops, mouth open models seem the order of the day.

Anyone observing how animals move around, a study of your pet dog or cat, perhaps watching a pride of lions on a television programme and you will see that most animals keep their traps shut for most of the time. Teeth and open jaws are more exciting for model makers, but the reality is most animals keep their mouths closed, in essence only opening their mouths to communicate, make threat gestures, attack or to eat. We do point this out when advising sculptors and the like, but we suspect that there are going to be lots more open mouthed dinosaurs made.

The London Natural History Museum’s Large T. rex Model

T. rex model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur model (above), is from the London Natural History Museum model series. To view this exciting range of prehistoric animal models: Natural HistoryMuseum Dinosaur Models.

Whilst the gape is impressive and the paint job on the teeth is very good, T. rex would not have walked around all day with his mouth wide open. However, a closed mouth T. rex is perhaps not as appealing and so the open mouthed Tyrannosaurus model seems here to stay.

1 11, 2009

World’s Oldest Spider’s Web found Entombed in Amber

By Mike|2023-03-03T17:44:56+00:00November 1st, 2009|Categories: Animal News Stories, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

Ancient Spider’s Web Preserved In Amber

Fossils in amber provide a window for palaeontologists into ancient ecoystems.

An amateur fossil hunter looking for dinosaur fossils along the Sussex coast (England), has found a 140 million-year-old piece of amber (fossilised tree resin), which contains the remains of a spider’s web. This discovery is being claimed by scientists as the oldest spider’s web evidence ever found in the fossil record.

Spider Fossil

The amber and the tiny, tangled fragments of web have been dated to the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian/Valanginian faunal stages), a time when the Earth was much warmer and dinosaurs dominated the Earth. The web’s structure seems similar to those webs woven by modern orb spiders. Orb spiders weave a spiral of silk, many with sticky droplets on them to help trap insects.

The amber, which was found on a Sussex beach (near Bexhill) was handed over to palaeobiologist Professor Martin Brasier who analysed the contents of the amber nodule. His findings are reported in the Journal of the Geological Society. The minute threads of spider silk are about 1 millimetre long and suspended in the amber nodule along with bits of burnt tree sap, insect droppings, microbes and fossilised vegetable matter. The amber nodule was found by amateur fossil hunter Jamie Hiscocks.

Prof. Brasier, a member of the faculty at the University of Oxford commentated:

“This amber is very rare. It comes from the very base of the Cretaceous period, which makes it one of the oldest ambers anywhere to have inclusions in it.”

Earliest Evidence of Actinobacteria

Professor Brasier and his colleagues have also found the earliest evidence of Actinobacteria a tiny group of organisms that break down wood and resins into soil particles, potentially rewriting the history of soil evolution. An examination of the threads contained in the amber indicate that they were spun by spiders closely related to modern day Orb spiders, or Garden spiders. Spiders are members of the Phylum Arthropoda, the largest phylum of animals. Fossils of spiders are extremely rare in the fossil record, although palaeontologists believe that spiders evolved during the Devonian (410-355 million-years-ago).

Professor Brasier stated:

“We actually have the sticky droplets preserved within the amber. These turn out to be the earliest webs that have ever been incorporated in the fossil record to our knowledge. You can match the details of the spider’s web with the spider’s web in my garden.”

Spider Silk Trapped in Sticky Resin

The spider silk became trapped in sticky resin (most probably from a conifer), the resin may have been produced by the tree to help heal a wound in the tree bark, perhaps as a response to fire damage. There is evidence of a fire event, this is indicated by the burnt sap contained within the amber nodule.

The arrow in the diagrams released to the media is pointing at a tiny strand of spider silk. These remains were identified by Professor Brasier and his team when they viewed the amber as different sections and studied these slices using microscopic imaging, a technique known as confocal microscopy. The large, dark blobs are pieces of burnt tree sap.

Experiments using modern cherry trees have demonstrated that very similar threads can be obtained by trapping modern spider webs in resin.

More Amber Nodules to Study

Just a tiny proportion of the deposits have so far been examined, and Professor Brasier and his colleagues believe that amber nodules such as this one have the potential to yield many more exciting finds, largely due to the development of increasingly powerful imaging techniques.

He said:

“It is a very exciting time to be a palaeontologist, because of all these wonderful techniques being developed. We are able to view things and see detail in ways that we’ve never been able to before.”

The discovery suggests that orb web spinning spiders existed far earlier than had been previously thought, at a time before flowering plants appeared on the planet and triggered an explosion in flying insects. The Bexhill site has revealed a number of other finds, including charcoal indicating that forest fires were common in the area during this time in Earth’s history.

Amber from the North Sea

The amber deposit, which is hidden beneath the tide for much of the time, is also believed to be the first significant amber deposit in Britain. Most famous amber deposits have been found in France, Germany, the Caribbean and Lebanon. A lot of jewellery is made from Baltic amber, this dates from the Palaeogene period, so it is approximately 90 million years younger than the Bexhill find. Occasionally, pieces of Baltic amber are found on the Norfolk coast, having floated across the North Sea. Amber, as it is a natural substance filled with air spaces, is buoyant and can float in sea water.

Despite the intense interest in the newly discovered spider silk, questions have been asked by members of the press about whether dinosaur DNA could ever be extracted from amber, thus leading to a real-life Jurassic Park. For the time being let us marvel at the miraculous way in which this ancient evidence of a spider’s activity has been preserved.

For replicas of iconic invertebrates from the fossil record: Replicas of Fossil Animals.