All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.
10 09, 2008

What is the Title of Charles Darwin’s Famous Book?

By |2023-02-25T20:16:30+00:00September 10th, 2008|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Famous Figures|0 Comments

The Full Title of the “Origin of Species”

Everything Dinosaur team members get sent in to their offices lots of questions about dinosaurs, fossils and general science.   Over the last few months we have received a number of emails and letters with questions about Sir Charles Darwin, evolution and natural selection.  This is not surprising really as next year (2009), marks the 200th anniversary of this great scientist’s birth.  Next year, it is also the 150th anniversary of the publication of his ground breaking work “The Origin of Species”.

One of the questions our team members were asked recently was:

“What is the full title of the book about natural selection written by Charles Darwin?”

Charles Darwin wrote many books, papers, articles for journals and so forth.  He also entered into a great deal of correspondence in his lifetime, on a huge range of subjects from the formation of coral atolls, to the behaviour of dogs and how they befriend mankind to the musical preferences of earthworms.

Origin of Species

His most famous book “The Origin of Species” was published in 1859 and went through several re-prints during Darwin’s lifetime.  The full title of this highly influential tome is:

“The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life”.

John Murray was the first publisher, perhaps for all our sakes, the book rapidly became a huge best-seller and its popularity ensured that the full title was not used that often, the book simply being referred to, more often than not as “The Origin of Species”.

Everything Dinosaur stocks a huge range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal themed toys, models games and clothing.  To visit the company’s award-winning website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

9 09, 2008

Thank you Letter from Becky

By |2022-12-06T08:15:51+00:00September 9th, 2008|Educational Activities, Teaching|0 Comments

School Pupil Writes Thank you Letter to Everything Dinosaur on Behalf of Her Class

After another visit to a primary school to teach about dinosaurs and fossils, this time one in Lancashire, our dinosaur expert was asked by the school teacher for a small favour.

Would it be all right with you,  if the children composed a thank you letter?

Fine by us, in fact we actively encourage creative writing in schools and we get asked for lots of ideas and advice when it comes to motivating young people at Key Stage 1 with creative writing tasks.

The teacher concerned (Miss O’ Hara), supported by her teaching assistant (TA) organised a brief session with the children in which they recalled and recounted some of the things they had done and what they had learned after the dinosaur workshop in school.  Flip chart paper was used by the children to list facts about dinosaurs that they had learned and from these sheets, what was going to be said in the actual letter was determined.  Then it was simply a question of briefing the children in what is expected when it comes to the layout of a letter.  For instance, the correct starting phrase, appropriate use of punctuation, connectives and so on.  I number of children wrote letters, and the teacher selected one to be sent on to the Everything Dinosaur offices.

Everything Dinosaur

It was Becky’s letter that was selected:

Young Becky (aged 6), wrote:

“Dear Everything Dinosaur,

Thank you for visiting our school this week, it was lovely to meet you.  Please, please come back to us as we all had such fun learning about dinosaurs.  We had fun with you and I liked making the fossil casts best.  We all laughed when Miss O’ Hara got to hold he dinosaur dung, we said she should wash her hands before she has her dinner.  I learned a lot and it helped me with my own dinosaur work.

From

Becky

(Class 1)”

Our team members get a lot of similar correspondence, however, we always acknowledge receipt of any such letters and email a reply to the school teacher responsible for the class. Glad we were able to make teaching about dinosaurs so much fun.

To learn more about Everything Dinosaur’s product range: Visit Everything Dinosaur’s Website.

8 09, 2008

Ammonites and Belemnites found In Liverpool!

By |2022-12-06T08:19:53+00:00September 8th, 2008|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

Successful Fossil Hunt in Liverpool City Centre (Finding Ammonites and Belemnites)

We have just about recovered from yet another busy weekend for team members at Everything Dinosaur as last Saturday and Sunday we helped out at the BA Festival of Science event at the World Museum, Liverpool.

As part of a week long series of activities; this particular event was entitled “Science Explosion” and it enabled young people to get to grips with some real scientific puzzles and conundrums.  Everything from the “Big Bang” to robots were on display and children (plus their mums and dads), were able to meet some of the scientists and to learn more about these fascinating subjects.  Dinosaurs and fossils are always popular with young people and Everything Dinosaur did their bit by building a series of wooden trays, that once lined with plastic and filled with a mixture of stones and fossils, became an artificial beach on which we could take young children on a real fossil hunt.

A Fossil Hunt with Everything Dinosaur

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur attempted to create a typical fossil finding trip to part of the Jurassic coast of Dorset (Toarcian faunal stage), with fossils dating back some 180 million years.

Ammonites and Belemnites

In amongst the pebbles and stones we kept hiding a constant supply of belemnite guards, crinoids, brachiopods (mainly Rhynchonella), small vertebrate bones and other fossils.  Ammonite fossils were especially popular and we made sure we kept a supply of various ammonite fossils going into the beds as well.

To see models of ammonites and belemnites and other prehistoric creatures: Prehistoric Animal Models.

Budding young palaeontologists were also supplied with drawing materials and fact sheets so that they could understand more about the fossils they had just found.

Still hard at It!

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

All our voices had just about given up by the end of Sunday afternoon, we had been bombarded with eager young palaeontologists keen to learn more about fossils and to see the dinosaur fossil casts we had on display.  It is very hard work putting on this type of event but a lot of fun at the same time, perhaps in some small way we have helped to inspire the next generation of palaeontologists.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award winning website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

7 09, 2008

Why not Try Dinosaur this Christmas?

By |2023-02-25T20:17:23+00:00September 7th, 2008|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

Why not Try Dinosaur this Christmas?  Everything Dinosaur Christmas Press Release

It may not even be half way through September, but the team members at Everything Dinosaur are already busy with preparations for their Christmas press release.  This year our testers and staff have drawn up a short-list of products and produced a Christmas gift themed press release.  Here are a range of excellent dinosaur toys for Christmas.

Everything Dinosaur is a unique, British based mail order company staffed by parents, teachers and dinosaur experts.  From soft and cuddly prehistoric animals, to educational posters, books, puzzles, models and kits Everything Dinosaur offers fabulous, fun and informative gift ideas for Christmas.

To visit the company website: Everything Dinosaur.

Run by passionate and knowledgeable amateur palaeontologists and teachers, this is no ordinary mail order business but one that strives to help motivate young people to learn more about Earth sciences through their fascination with dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures.

From the adorable and cuddly prehistoric animal soft toys such as the Woolly Mammoth Mum and Baby set to the clever Dinosaur Excavation game there is truly something for everyone, of all ages. And, if you need to give Santa a hand to fill stockings, then a visit to the company’s Party Gifts and Stocking Fillers section should have young dinosaur fans “roaring with delight” on Christmas day.

Prehistoric Animal Plush: Dinosaur Soft Toys.

For Mums and Dads wanting to provide their own little monsters with a Christmas gift that is both entertaining and educational, then the Start Exploring Dinosaur Kit fits the bill. This box set includes a whole host of dinosaur themed activities – model making, posters, stickers, fact sheets, a mobile and puzzles, just about everything needed to help fire the imagination of a budding palaeontologist!

For the person who loves an unusual present, why not surprise them with a replica fossil tooth from a Sabre-toothed cat! All the items on the Everything Dinosaur website have been tested by parents and children and the knowledgeable teachers and dinosaur enthusiasts behind the company pride themselves in being able to supply imaginative and informative gifts. Take for example our Weird dinosaurs poster – illustrating some of the wonderful and amazing new dinosaur discoveries.

The Dinosaur Toy Carrier/Tidy is ideal for little hands and prevents bedroom floors from becoming cluttered. After all, young dinosaur fans must keep their prehistoric animals under control.

The team at Everything Dinosaur are more than just mail order retailers; they are dinosaur enthusiasts who promote education and knowledge on this huge subject. The company specialises in the supply of dinosaur and prehistoric animal related toy and hobby products.  Working in association with museums and other educational bodies, many of the items supplied help raise funds for palaeontologists so they can continue their research and put on dinosaur events and exhibitions.

6 09, 2008

Fforest Fawr Geopark

By |2023-02-25T20:24:51+00:00September 6th, 2008|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Geology, Photos|0 Comments

The First Geopark to be Established in Wales

In 2005, an area of the Brecon Beacons in south Wales became the first designated geopark in the whole of Wales, the site is to be called the Fforest Fawr Geopark.  A geopark is an area of land regarded as having significant geological importance within Europe.

The Fforest Fawr Geopark (the name translates as great forest), is part of the Brecon Beacons National Park.   It comprises the western half of the National Park, stretching from Llandovery in the north to the edge of Merthyr Tydfil in the south, from Llandeilo in the west to Brecon in the east.  The landscape is breathtaking and extremely beautiful, it has been an area much cherished and admired by outdoor enthusiasts.  It consists of a series of upland areas including mountain and moorland and extends for approximately 300 square miles (760 square kilometres), roughly 45% of the total area of the Brecon Beacon National Park.

Forest Fawr Geopark

The oldest rocks found within the geopark date from the Ordovician geological period and can be found at the very extreme west of the geopark.  Rock strata dating from the later Silurian and Devonian are also present with considerable amounts of Carboniferous limestone exposures as well as some coal measures to the south of the geopark.  The country of Wales has played an extremely important role in the naming of geological time periods.  The three earliest periods that make up the Palaeozoic Era, the Cambrian, the Ordovician and the Silurian have names that have Welsh origins.  The Cambrian was named by Adam Sedgwick after Cambria (the Latin name for Wales), The Ordovician was named after the Ordovices tribe of North Wales (named by Charles Lapworth).  The Silurian was named by Roderick Murchison after the Silures tribe of Ancient Britons who inhabited south Wales during Roman times.

The Beautiful Countryside of Wales

Everything Dinosaur's van exploring Wales on a fossil hunting trip.

Everything Dinosaur’s van exploring Wales on a fossil hunting trip.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Fforest Fawr Geopark

The Everything Dinosaur vehicles get to some beautiful parts of the British Isles. Whilst on a fossil hunting expedition in Wales it is always a pleasure to spend a few minutes taking in the amazing countryside and fantastic views before returning to our scouring and searching of scree slopes for fossils.  We always take plenty of photographs, we like to leave what we find where we found it so others may enjoy them too.

The Fforest Fawr Geopark is well worth a visit, although we would recommend stout walking gear and sensible clothing when exploring some of the highest peaks in the whole of southern Britain.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

5 09, 2008

Taking a Tyrannosaurus rex to Liverpool

By |2022-11-27T09:28:54+00:00September 5th, 2008|Educational Activities, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

Gearing up for the BA Festival of Science – Science Explosion

Team members have been busy all week preparing for the BA Festival of Science which is taking place at the Liverpool World Museum over the weekend.  Many of us have been “burning the midnight oil” going over the plans we have for our part of this exhibition that will feature the likes of the Open University and many national museums as well as ourselves waving the flag for palaeontology.

Our intention is to bring a little bit of the Mesozoic to Merseyside by recreating Charmouth beach at the museum and encouraging the young visitors to go on a fossil hunt to see what they can find.

We have built two, large collapsable wooden trays, each lined with plastic that will form the framework for our beach display.  These trays will be filled with pebbles, gravel and all sorts of typical items you would find on a beach.  However, in amongst all the stones will be fossils of belemnites, ammonites, crinoids, brachipods, pieces of ichthyosaur bone and other cool stuff, representing what you would find if you visited places like Church Cliffs or the Black Ven on the Dorset coast.

As well as providing a glimpse into the Jurassic, our team will be bringing over some life-size cast replicas of dinosaur fossils including the premaxilla and maxilla (upper jaw) of a Tyrannosaurus rex.

Tyrannosaurus Maxilla

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The casts will give young people the chance to get to grips with some really exciting dinosaurs, as well as T. rex we have the dentary (lower jaw) of a Triceratops, some fossil dinosaur poo from a sauropod and lots of teeth and claws so that people can see for themselves just how big some of these critters got.

Should be a fun day, we will take a camera so expect a couple of pics.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

4 09, 2008

Oldest Evidence of Stone Tools in Prehistory

By |2023-02-25T17:05:27+00:00September 4th, 2008|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Australopithecus africanus – Stone Making Ancient Hunters

Although no stone tools have been found in the same sediments as Australopithecus africanus fossils, for a long time scientists believed A. africanus was a hunter (the habitat in which this species lived is believed to have been a mixed savannah-forested environment).  Precisely, when early hominins started to use tools is difficult to determine.  While working in the Afar Region of  Ethiopia (northern Ethiopia), a research project team (the Dikika Research Project), found fossilised bones bearing unambiguous evidence of stone tool use – cut marks inflicted whilst removing meat from the bone and percussion marks made when bones were deliberately broken to extract the highly nutritious marrow.

Australopithecus

Whilst it has been speculated that the Australopithecines at Dikika were using sharp-edged stones to carve meat from the bones of animals, it is not possible to determine from the marks themselves whether the stones used were simply found or shaped deliberately.  However, the bones are most definitely marked by scratches and percussion impressions.  Analysis has demonstrated that these marks were created before the bones were fossilised, eliminating the possibility that the marks could have been made more recently.

Australopithecus

At home on the plains.

The model (above) is a retired Bullyland Australopithecus figure.  To view the range of Bullyland dinosaur and prehistoric animal models in stock: Bullyland Prehistoric Animal Models and Figures.

No flaked stone tools were found at the Dikika sites, this could indicate that the Dikika residents were simply opportunistic, just finding and using sharp-edged stones where they happened to be.  Most of the marks on the bones at Dikika do have features that indicate that they were made by stone tools.  Intriguingly, regardless of whether or not the stone tools were being made, the fact that they were being used to access the very nutritious bone marrow would have had significant implications for early hominin development and ultimately our own evolution.

3 09, 2008

Schleich Dinosaur Models (Dinosaurs)

By |2023-02-25T18:32:05+00:00September 3rd, 2008|Adobe CS5, Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

Schleich Dinosaur Models

Team members at Everything Dinosaur have created an image which shows three Schleich dinosaur models, namely Brachiosaurus, the sail-backed Spinosaurus and Allosaurus.

A Trio of Schleich Dinosaurs

Schleich dinosaurs are available from Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Schleich Dinosaur Models

The German model manufacturer Schleich has built up a solid reputation for making dinosaur toys and prehistoric animal models. These replicas are great for imaginative, creative play.  All three dinosaur models are new for this year (2008) and are part of an extensive prehistoric animal range manufactured by the German company.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s current range of Schleich dinosaur toys and the other prehistoric animal figures the UK-based company stocks: Schleich Dinosaurs and Other Dinosaur Models.

2 09, 2008

New Schleich Allosaurus model in Stock

By |2023-02-25T17:01:21+00:00September 2nd, 2008|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

New Schleich Allosaurus Model

Joining the new additions of a Spinosaurus and an updated version of a brachiosaur in the Schleich scale model “Saurus” range comes a new interpretation of an Allosaurus.  This new model of this fierce, Jurassic predator stands 12 cm tall and is nearly 30 cm long.  Hand-painted in the now typical colours used to depict an allosaur green mottled effect with prominent red eye crests, this certainly is a handsome beast.

Modelled on an Allosaurus fragilis from the Morrison Formation of the Upper Jurassic, this new Schleich dinosaurs model would make a fine addition to any serious collector’s set of Allosauridae models.

Model Allosaurus from Schleich

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Schleich Allosaurus

To view the range of models and figures available from Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

When we first viewed the prototype of this particular model, we were a little concerned as the feet had been enlarged to permit this bipedal animal to be stable and to provide scope for a more life-like posture.  The proportions of the model generally work well and provide a degree of realism to the posture and depict this fierce dinosaur as an active hunter – which in reality allosaurs certainly were.

Perhaps Allosaurus is the best known and most researched of all the Jurassic theropods.  This is due to the large number of fossils of this dinosaur found in the USA.  To date fossils ascribed to this particular species of Allosaurus (A. fragilis) have been found in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming

1 09, 2008

Receiving Feedback from Everything Dinosaur Customers

By |2022-11-27T09:18:19+00:00September 1st, 2008|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Press Releases|0 Comments

Customers Thank Everything Dinosaur for their Help

It is always a pleasure to hear from Mums, Dads and Grandparents of young dinosaur fans.  Everything Dinosaur team members do all that they can to advise and assist our many thousands of customers, as we appreciate there are so many different dinosaur toys available these days, the choice of a gift for a loved one can be a little daunting.  We receive lots of feedback from our customers and every letter, email and phone call received is reviewed by our team members.

Everything Dinosaur Customers

A mum called Pam was searching for a special dinosaur toy for her five-year-old son.  She contacted Everything Dinosaur and asked for our help.  A quick chat with one of our very knowledgeable team members and everything was sorted.  Pam emailed to thank us for our help.

Pam stated:

“Just to say that my parcel arrived this morning, unbelievably quick delivery and my little boy is going to love the dinosaurs that you suggested.  I can’t thank you enough, he is really looking forward to his birthday and he can pronounce lots of dinosaur names already.  My thanks once again.”

No worries, it’s all part of Everything Dinosaur’s commitment to customer service, we are happy to help when it comes to choosing the right dinosaur toys and games for creative, young minds.

A spokesperson for the UK-based dinosaur company said:

“We get sent lots of emails and we handly numerous phone calls each day.  We do our best to provide advice and assistance to all our customers.”

To view the extensive range of dinosaur models and toys in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur Toys and Gifts.

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