All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.
22 05, 2014

A Review of the Bullyland Lambeosaurus Dinosaur Model

By |2023-03-13T11:12:19+00:00May 22nd, 2014|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products, Product Reviews|0 Comments

Bullyland Lambeosaurus Under the Spotlight

This review is of the new for 2014 Bullyland Lambeosaurus model,  part of the company’s Museum Line prehistoric animal model range.  This is the only duck-billed dinosaur model currently available from this German manufacturer and this replica has a lot to commend it.

Lambeosaurus

Lambeosaurus is one of the better known genera of hadrosaurid dinosaurs and substantial fossil remains ascribed to the lambeosaur family have been found.  All the fossils discovered to date and related to this genus, come from North America.  In most circumstances, it is the lack of fossil material that gives palaeontologists problems when it comes to describing a new dinosaur species and working out where it fits into the dinosaur family tree.

Lambeosaurus is an exception to this, as the amount of fossil material discovered has led to considerable confusion with regards to this dinosaur and to the number of species of Lambeosaurus there might have been and how closely related it is to other crested duck-billed dinosaurs.

The Bullyland Lambeosaurus Dinosaur Model

New interpretation of Lambe's lizard.

New interpretation of Lambe’s lizard.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

“Hatchet-like” Crests

As these animals grew and developed, so the size and the shape of that famous “hatchet-like” crest changed.  There may also have been differences in the crest morphology between males and females.  Defining what is actually a species of Lambeosaurus is therefore a bit tricky, however, something like three species are currently recognised and the geographical range of the fossil finds suggests that these types of duck-billed dinosaur lived all along the western part of North America, from Alberta (Canada), in the north, down to New Mexico in the south.

Bullyland Lambeosaurus Dinosaur Model

The Bullyland Lambeosaurus is very well painted and there is lots of detail to admire.  The hatchet crest has a bumpy, roughened texture and it is painted bright red with a brown/black border.  The size and shape of the crest suggests that this model represents one of the larger species of Lambeosaurus currently recognised and that the model is a male.  The ears and nostrils can be clearly seen, little details often overlooked with inferior models.

The replica is roughly in proportion to the known fossil material and the striking blue stripe running down the model gives this Lambeosaurus a certain flamboyance.  The model makers have done a lot of work on the skin texture with some raised dermal scutes and smaller scales, these reflect what is known about Lambeosaurus as impressions of fossilised skin have been found.  The figure measures around twenty-six centimetres in length and based on a comparison with the fossil material associated with one of the bigger Lambeosaurs, Lambeosaurus magnicristatus, we estimate that the figure is in approximately 1:27 scale.  It is posed in quite a dynamic, active stance with the tail held out straight behind the body, to give the impression of movement.

A Close up of the “Hatchet Shaped” Crest

The body and the crest of this dinosaur have been given an authentic roughened texture.

The body and the crest of this dinosaur have been given an authentic roughened texture.

The Bullyland design team have taken care to depict the digits of this dinosaur.  A characteristic of the hadrosaurids is that the fingers of the hand  on the front limbs were often united, connected by skin to form a fleshy pad, whilst the toes of the hind feet could be more splayed.  It is this webbing between the fingers of the hands of this dinosaur that helped give weight to the early hypothesis that these herbivores were largely aquatic.

The model with its Front Digits United to Form a Fleshy Pad

The Museum Line Lambeosaurus with an Everything Dinosaur fact sheet.

The Museum Line Lambeosaurus with an Everything Dinosaur fact sheet. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of Bullyland prehistoric animal models: Bullyland Dinosaur Figures and Models.

There is much to be admired about this latest interpretation of a Lambeosaurus from Bullyland.  The model’s bright colours and dynamic pose are likely to make it a favourite amongst collectors and dinosaur fans.

21 05, 2014

Mary Anning – A Role Model for Girls and Science

By |2023-03-13T11:06:52+00:00May 21st, 2014|Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Mary Anning – A Role Model for Girls and Science

Mary Anning – Her Story and the National Curriculum

You might be familiar with the tongue-twister that begins “she sells sea shells on the seashore”, this little ditty that originated in the early part of the 20th century is believed to have been inspired by the life and work of Mary Anning, who was one the most important fossil collectors in the early history of palaeontology.

Mary Anning

For teachers of primary school children, especially those in Years 3 and 4, the story of Mary Anning can dove-tail very neatly into the new national teaching curriculum, specifically into the Science section (rocks, fossils and soil) but elsewhere, including English, History and Mathematics.

Mary Anning Fossil Collector Gets a Google Doodle

Google celebrates the life and work of Mary Anning.

Happy Birthday Mary Anning.  Google celebrates the life and works of Mary Anning.

Picture credit: Google/Everything Dinosaur

Mary Anning’s (1799-1847), contribution to the nascent science of palaeontology was immense.  This pioneering amateur palaeontologist would often venture out onto the dangerous cliffs of Lyme Regis (along with her faithful dog), searching for fossils or “curios” as they were often referred to.  She is credited with finding the first Ichthyosaur fossils to be studied by scientists (the fossil discovery was made jointly with her brother Joseph).

From her humble little house at Lyme Regis (Dorset, southern England),  Mary collected the many different types of fossil exposed by tides and erosion that could be found in the Jurassic aged coastal strata.  She became prominent as an expert in fossils and fossil hunting, although she did not receive full credit for her contribution to science during her lifetime.

Helping to Promote Science to Girls using Mary Anning as a Role Model

Helping to promote learning in schools.

Helping to promote science for girls by dressing up as Mary Anning.  Mary Anning helping to inspire the next generation of young scientists. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The First Plesiosaur Fossil to be Scientifically Studied

Mary Anning discovered the first plesiosaur fossils in 1821 and the first pterosaur (flying reptile) fossils in England in 1828.  The pterosaur in question was named Dimorphodon and it was the first outside Germany to be described and only the third in the world to be scientifically analysed.  Many of Mary’s fossil finds can still be seen in museums today.  Her discoveries helped to build up the collections of a number of wealthy individuals but often no record was kept of her contribution or role in the research and study of such specimens.

Sadly, in Georgian times, women working in an academic capacity was strongly discouraged, Mary had much of the credit for her work taken away from her and it is only in recent years that her contribution has begun to be recognised by the public.

Mary Anning and her story makes a splendid, inspirational tale to help young children (particularly girls), think about studying science and taking up a career in the sciences.

Further information on Mary Anning and resources can be found at the following links:

Lyme Regis Remembers Mary: Lyme Regis Remembers the Contribution to Science Made by Mary Anning.

In Memory of Mary Anning: Anniversary of the death of Mary Anning.

As for a link into the English elements of Key Stage 2, here is the tongue-twister attributed to Mary in full, can your class create tongue-twisters of their own?

“She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.
The shells she sells are sea-shells, I’m sure.
For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore
Then I’m sure she sells sea-shore shells.”

To view replicas of ammonites, belemnites, plesiosaurs and pterosaurs inspired by Mary Anning’s fossil discoveries, visit the models section of Everything Dinosaur’s user-friendly website: Prehistoric Animal and Dinosaur Models.

21 05, 2014

Google Doodle Celebrates Mary Anning

By |2023-03-13T11:05:51+00:00May 21st, 2014|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Press Releases|0 Comments

Happy Birthday to Mary Anning – Google Doodle

We wonder what Mary Anning would have made of the internet?  Coming from a poor family she may have found access to a personal computer, smart phone or tablet a little beyond her budget.  Perhaps one of those wealthy individuals who benefited from her fossil finds and research might have provided her with a laptop.  Google has marked the birthday of Mary Anning with a Google Doodle to commemorate her birthday on 21st May 1799.

Google Doodle Celebrates the Birthday of Mary Anning

Happy Birthday Mary Anning

Happy Birthday Mary Anning.

Picture credit: Google

Mary’s contribution to the nascent science of palaeontology was immense.  Along with her brother, Joseph, she is credited with finding the first ichthyosaur skeleton that was scientifically studied, the discovery of Plesiosaurus fossils (the fossil depicted in the Google Doodle) and for finding and bringing to the attention of science the first pterosaur fossil to be formally studied outside Germany (Dimorphodon) and only the third to be described in the world.

For models and replicas of ichthyosaurs and other marine reptiles: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Range.

Mary Anning

Everything Dinosaur team members were enthusiastic supporters for the life of Mary Anning to be included in the national curriculum of England.  She is one of the designated people who can be studied by school children as part of the science/history scheme of work within the national teaching guidelines.  As a small team, we have done quite a lot to promote science studies in schools and in particular to champion the role of women in science with the aim of encouraging girls to take up science and to develop a career in science disciplines.

Everything Dinosaur with Mary Anning – Helping to Promote Girls into Science

Helping to promote science for girls by dressing up as Mary Anning.

Helping to promote science for girls by dressing up as Mary Anning. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A couple of years ago Google created a Google Doodle celebrating the life and works of Mary Leakey, now Mary Anning has been honoured.  Happy Birthday Mary!

For models and replicas of iconic fossils including many from the “Jurassic Coast”: Replicas of Iconic Fossils.

20 05, 2014

Schleich Pentaceratops Video Review

By |2023-03-13T10:37:28+00:00May 20th, 2014|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur videos, Product Reviews|0 Comments

A Video Review of the 2014 Schleich Pentaceratops Dinosaur Model

The colourful Schleich Pentaceratops dinosaur model gets the Everything Dinosaur video treatment.  In this short video review, (five minutes and forty-two seconds), team members discuss the model, compare it to the Schleich Triceratops replica that came out in 2012 and talk about Pentaceratops fossil finds.

Schleich Pentaceratops Dinosaur Model

Everything Dinosaur’s Video Review of the Schleich Pentaceratops Dinosaur Model

Video credit: Everything Dinosaur

Titanoceratops (Titanoceratops ouranos) even gets a mention.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of Schleich models: Schleich Prehistoric Animal Figures and Models.

It may be more than ninety years since the first fossils of Pentaceratops were discovered in New Mexico, but there is a lot of fossil material from the San Juan basin ascribed to Pentaceratops that requires further research and study.  It is also possible that in many of the burlap and plaster wrapped specimens that lie in the vaults of museums there may be other species of ceratopsid awaiting discovery.

19 05, 2014

New Crocodile Attacks Reported

By |2024-02-25T07:38:47+00:00May 19th, 2014|Animal News Stories, Main Page|2 Comments

More Crocodile Attack Fatalities

A Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is reported to have attacked and killed a woman whilst she was collecting reeds in the Shire River (Mangochi district, southern Malawi).  Mangochi Police Station Public Relations Officer, Inspector Rodrick Maida stated that the deceased had been in the river gathering reeds with two female friends when the crocodile grabbed her.  The women were unable to free the victim from the crocodile’s grip and ran to nearby houses to fetch help.

Crocodile Attacks

A search conducted by a group of villagers from Mtalimanja also ended in tragedy when Walani Lawe (aged 51) was attacked and severely injured whilst attempting to retrieve the woman’s body.  The dead woman’s body has yet to be recovered.  Mr Lawe was taken to Mangochi District Hospital and it has been reported that he is responding well to treatment.

This attack comes just a few days after another fatal crocodile attack this time in Papua New Guinea and the species concerned was a Saltwater or Estuarine crocodile (C. porosus).  Several media sources have reported that a four-metre-long reptile attacked and killed an eleven year old boy whilst he fished with his parents.  The incident took place on the Siloura River in Gulf Province, in the southern part of Papua New Guinea. The attack occurred on Thursday afternoon.

Authorities Make Statement

Police Commander Lincoln Gerari, said in the statement that the boy had been identified as Melas Mero.  Following the fatal attack, a large crocodile was tracked by hunters and killed.   The boy’s limbs and part of the hips were found inside the crocodile’s stomach.  Other body parts have been recovered by the police team.

Describing the sudden attack, the Commander explained:

“The crocodile swept the boy with its tail and then attacked the defenceless child.”

This is the second fatal crocodile attack to be reported from Papua New Guinea in 2014.  On January 1st a man was killed by a Saltwater Crocodile at Rawa Bay in North Bougainville.   According to a Darwin based, crocodile data recording team, this is the seventy-fifth crocodile attack recorded in Papua New Guinea since 1958.  Of these seventy-five attacks, sixty-five have proved fatal.

18 05, 2014

A Video Review of the Schleich Light Green T. rex Dinosaur Model

By |2023-03-13T10:33:43+00:00May 18th, 2014|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Everything Dinosaur videos, Product Reviews|0 Comments

Schleich Light Green Tyrannosaurus rex Video Review

The new for 2014 Schleich light green Tyrannosaurus rex is the first of the new Schleich dinosaurs to have a a video review created for it.  Team members at Everything Dinosaur have enthusiastically plotted the progress of the four new models scheduled for introduction this year by Schleich into their “World of History” series.  It is our intention to produce reviews for all the new models, but the T. rex replica is a very good place to start.

Tyrannosaurus rex Model

There are a total of three tyrannosaurs currently made by Schleich, two within the larger model series and a third, smaller model in what was called “die kleinen Dinos” by our German friends.  As with all prehistoric animal model manufacturers, T. rex tends to act as a flagship model for the factory, after all, it is the one dinosaur replica that is made by all the model manufacturers and the new, light green Tyrannosaurus rex from Schleich stands up very well to scrutiny.

The Light Green Tyrannosaurus rex Model (Schleich)

T. rex (Schleich 2014)

T. rex (Schleich 2014).

A Video Review by Everything Dinosaur

It is a very tactile model, has lots of detail and the articulated lower jaw is bound to make it very popular amongst young dinosaur fans.  The five minute video review discusses some of the features of this new replica and compares it to the 2012 tyrannosaur model introduced by Schleich when their revamped prehistoric animal model range “Urzeittiere Dinosaurier”, this translates as prehistoric animals – dinosaurs, first came out.

Everything Dinosaur’s Video Review of the Light Green T. rex (Schleich)

Video credit: Everything Dinosaur

In this short video, we look at the possibility of making this new T. rex model the male in a pair of tyrannosaurs with the slightly larger, dark green, 2012 T. rex being the female.  There is evidence to suggest that the females were larger than the males.  The fossil record from locations such as the the Hell Creek Formation of the western United States indicates two forms of Late Cretaceous tyrannosaur, a robust form and a gracile form.  Could this fossil material represent differences between boys and girls just as we see today with some species of birds?

To view the Schleich prehistoric animals available from Everything Dinosaur: Schleich Dinosaur Models and Prehistoric Animal Figures.

The females may have been bigger as they required wider hips to permit the storage and passage of eggs.  Females in many different types of animal tend to be bigger than the males, In tyrannosaur circles, could the girls have ruled the roost?  For the moment, the fossil evidence poses this intriguing question finding definitive proof is somewhat tricky, however, thanks to Schleich at least dinosaur fans and model collectors can create their own family of tyrannosaurs.

17 05, 2014

Biggest Dinosaur of All – A New South American Contender

By |2023-03-13T10:31:10+00:00May 17th, 2014|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

Seven Titanosaur Fossil Skeletons – Graveyard of Giants!

So the story is out, we have a new contender for the title of biggest dinosaur known to science!  In fact we have seven of them, for a team of researchers working at an outcrop of Cretaceous aged strata in Chubut Province (southern Argentina),  have uncovered the fossilised remains of seven huge titanosaurs and when we say huge we really mean it.  These giants could well prove to be the largest terrestrial animals of all.  Somebody is going to need a very big dinosaur museum to exhibit this collection.

A Graveyard of Giants

A team of researchers led by scientists from the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (Trelew City), a museum and scientific research centre that team members at Everything Dinosaur know very well having visited and viewed the spectacular vertebrate fossil collection on numerous occasions, have uncovered a total of two hundred fossils so far from this single location.  Best of all, a film crew from the BBC Natural History film unit was on hand to visit the site and record the field team at work as they carefully gathered evidence of past habitats within the dinosaur bone bed that has been nick-named the “graveyard of giants”.

An Overview of the Fossil Site

Up to seven individual Titanosaur remains found.

Up to seven individual titanosaur remains found.

Picture credit: Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (MEF)

Titanosaur Fossils

This part of Argentina has produced a number of giant dinosaurs, including immense titanosaurs, the largest of which, to be formally described is Argentinosaurus huinculensis.  However, this new discovery is remarkable as there are a number of individuals to be studied and the preservation of the bone material is exceptional.  This new species of titanosaur has yet to be named.

Size and Scale of New Dinosaur Discovery

The thigh bone of one of the giant Titanosaurs.

The thigh bone of one of the giant titanosaurs.

Picture credit: Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (MEF)

The picture above shows one of the researchers lying beside the thigh bone (femur) of one of these enormous plant-eating dinosaurs.  It is a kind of a tradition amongst palaeontologists to have their picture taken lying next to the huge limb bones of these long-necked dinosaurs.  Many field workers have posed for such photographs, it is probably the most practical and simple way to demonstrate the immense size of the fossils in the field.

Large Fossil Bones Discovered

In 2011, a local farmworker contacted the MEF and reported the finding of large bones that were exposed and weathering out of the surrounding rock.  Field team workers have been busy excavating the site, which is approximately 160 miles south-west of Trelew City, close to the small town of El Sombrero.  About one fifth of all the fossil material has been removed and transported back to the MEF for further restoration and preparation.  The size of the fossil bones made transport no easy task and the scientists were grateful for the support and advice of the Highways National Road Administration as well as the National Atomic Energy Commission which provided tools and heavy plant equipment to help with the fossil dig.

Heavy Duty Fossil Handling Equipment Required

Big fossils require big diggers to excavate them.

Big fossils require big diggers to excavate them.

Picture credit: Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (MEF)

The industrial plant, more at home on a construction site, certainly beat our hammers and chisels, but big diggers are required when handling fossil extraction on this scale.

The strata in which the fossils have been found has been tentatively dated to around 95 million years ago (Cenomanian faunal stage of the Cretaceous).  This dry and dusty part of Patagonia was very different back then, it was a lush and verdant dinosaur paradise, criss-crossed by slow flowing rivers.  For this group of titanosaurs, it may be a case of “paradise lost” as they all perished together.  Amongst the huge bones, the palaeontologists have found sixty broken teeth from large theropod dinosaurs. It seems the carcases of these animals were scavenged by some big meat-eaters.

Predators Attracted

The heap of decaying corpses would have attracted every carnivorous dinosaur from miles around, after all, there would have been something like 250 – 300 tonnes of meat available for the scavengers to consume.  One of the benefactors of this feast might have been the carcharodontosaurid known as Tyrannotitan (T. chubutensis).  Fossils of this twelve-metre-plus giant have been found in slightly older strata in the same area.

The site has also yielded important data on the flora that existed in this part of the world during the Cretaceous.  Amongst the fossil material excavated to date there are chunks of fossilised wood and the delicate impressions of the leaves of early flowering plants (Angiosperms).  However, with the number of fossil bones found and their degree of preservation, scientists are confident that they can gather accurate data on just how big these dinosaurs were.

At Least Seven Individual Dinosaurs

The seven individuals represent adult animals,  there are some slight differences in the size of the bones, indicating that some of the dinosaurs were bigger than others.  Initial estimates of body size and mass of the largest individual, calculated by measuring the length and circumference of the femur (thigh bone) suggest an animal around eighty tonnes in weight and forty metres in length.  Such figures are approximations and further work is required but the bones are on a par with those ascribed to the biggest dinosaur yet described, the mighty Argentinosaurus.

Recently, Everything Dinosaur reported on a study conducted by an international team of scientists that compared how quickly dinosaurs evolved compared to birds.  As part of this research, the body weights of the largest known dinosaurs were calculated.  The femur size and circumference measure for Argentinosaurus gave this dinosaur a body mass of around ninety tonnes.  However, the femur used was a fragmentary fossil, in this instance scientists have, for the first time, got the virtually complete super-sized titanosaur limb bone material to work with.

To read more about this research: Dinosaurs Shrank So That They Could Continue to Evolve.

Commenting on the size of these potential record breaking dinosaurs, palaeontologist Dr José Luis Carballido (MEF) stated:

“It’s like two semi trucks, one after another, and the equivalent of more than 14 African elephants weighed together.  It’s a real palaeontological treasure, there were so many bones and the remains are practically intact, this does not happen very often.  All previously discovered giant titanosaur fossils are very fragmented”

Titanosaur Fossils

The giants seem to have all perished around the same time, indicating that this might represent a herd or at least a partial herd of these herbivorous dinosaurs.  A spokes person from Everything Dinosaur remarked that the fossil find was indeed astonishing and that the fossils once prepared and protected against further erosion and damage would yield new information on just how big some dinosaurs could grow to.

The spokes person added:

“We can speculate that this bone bed deposit represents a herd of titanosaurs that stayed close to a dwindling water supply that eventually dried up.  In a drought, these giants would have been trapped close to a water source and yet in need of vast amounts of vegetation to fuel their huge bodies, even if they had the lower metabolisms of cold-blooded creatures.  We see similar instances of mass mortality of large herbivores in Africa today, when significant numbers of elephants succumb to drought in places such as within some of the National Parks of Botswana.”

The South American research team are optimistic that these enormous fossils will eventually go on display to the public, but for the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, this is going to cause a bit of headache.  They are going to need a much bigger main gallery to display them in.

A Comparison of Body Sizes – Scale of Titanosaurs

New dinosaur discovery compared to a human, a giraffe and a meat-eating Theropod.

New dinosaur discovery compared to a human, a giraffe and a meat-eating theropod.

Picture credit: Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (MEF)/Everything Dinosaur

The diagram above shows the new, as yet unnamed dinosaur compared to a human (yellow), a giraffe (red) and the meat-eating, theropod dinosaur known as Tyrannotitan.

16 05, 2014

Identifying the First Americans

By |2023-03-13T10:16:58+00:00May 16th, 2014|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Geology, Main Page|0 Comments

“Naia” – The Water Nymph Provides Clues to the First Americans

To a palaeontologist, the Yucatan peninsula of Eastern Mexico is a fascinating part of the world, for it was here something like sixty-six million years ago, that an extra-terrestrial body crashed into the Earth which contributed to the Cretaceous mass extinction event leading to the demise of the dinosaurs.

In addition, the amazing geology of the area, essentially extensive limestone deposits that over millions of years have been hollowed out in places by the action of water to create an enormous network of caverns, yields secrets of much more recent times – the remains of creatures and people that lived in America during the last Ice Age.

The First Americans

The discovery of the remains of a teenage girl who fell to her death in a cave between 12,000 and 13,000 years ago are helping archaeologists to piece together the story of how the Americas came to be populated.

The skeleton, nick-named “Naia” by the scientists, (the name means water nymph), represents the oldest genetically intact human known from the Western Hemisphere.  The water nymph epithet is apt, as the when the Ice Age began to give up its icy grip on the continent around 10,000 years ago, the caves quickly became inundated with water and much of this subterranean world was submerged, including the cavern where the bones of this young girl were found.

The picture above shows Divers Susan Bird (in blue) and Alberto Nava (in yellow) carefully transporting the skull to an underwater turntable so that it can be photographed from various angles to make a three-dimensional image of the human remains.  Details of the research into mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) extracted from a tooth have been published in the academic journal “Science”.  Mitochondrial DNA is passed down the maternal line, from mother to daughter.

Examining the Mitochondrial DNA

The mitochondria are the “factory” areas in cells with a membrane, these convert chemical energy into food substances that can be utilised by the body.  By mapping the genetic information and identifying markers within it, the girl’s ancestry can be compared with those of Native American Indian populations, helping scientists to determine how North America came to be inhabited, by whom and when.  It also permits researchers to look more closely at the genetic relationships between today’s Native American population and the first inhabitants of this continent.

The data supports the hypothesis that Ice Age humans who crossed from Asia into the Americas did in fact give rise to the modern Native American Indians.  This means that tribes people today can trace their origins back to the very first settlers who migrated from Asia into Alaska via the landmass called Beringia that linked these two continents together.  The date when people first crossed over from Asia to America is hotly debated amongst palaeoanthropologists.

Some scientists suggest that migrations began as recently as 15,000 years ago.  With the discovery of the human remains in eastern Mexico and their dating to circa 12,000 – 13,000, this suggests that either modern humans spread very rapidly south, or that migrations may have started much earlier.

The Ice Ages led to the locking up of vast quantities of water in ice sheets.  Global sea levels fell and Asia and the Americas were linked.  A land bridge existed between the north-eastern tip of Siberia and the State of Alaska (Beringia), the ancestors of “Naia” crossed this land bridge and the Americas were colonised.

A Young Girl

The girl, believed to have been around fifteen or sixteen years of age when she died, probably fell in the cave.  The pelvis is shattered, the break suggests this was an injury caused from a fall and not the distortion of fossil material as a result of the fossilisation process.  Scientists have speculated that the girl may have fallen a considerable distance, having entered the cave looking for a source of water.  The divers also found a collection of other bones that represent prehistoric animals, some of which “Naia” would have been familiar with.

Prehistoric Animal Bones

The divers found the remains of giant ground sloths, sabre-toothed cats, cave bears and a Gomphothere (extinct type of elephant).  Around twelve thousand years ago, this part of Mexico was much more arid than it is today, some of the caves would have held freshwater in them, and the girl may have been part of a group of gatherers looking for fresh water supplies.  Measuring under 1.5 metres tall and slightly built, the girl fell into a pit which is over thirty metres deep in places.  The bell-shaped cave, now flooded is so dark and claustrophobic that the divers refer to it as “Hoyo Nero” – the black hole.

For models and replicas of prehistoric mammals including prehistoric elephants: CollectA Deluxe Scale Replicas and Figures.

Archaeologist, James Chatters (Applied Paleoscience [American spelling]), one of the leaders of the research team stated that the cavern represented “a time capsule of the environment and human life at the end of the Ice Age.”

The origins of the first Americans has been a source of controversy for some time.  The date when the first, nomadic, hunter-gatherers crossed from Beringia remains unclear, evidence collected from early human settlements found in north-eastern Siberia (Ushki Lake and Berelekh) when compared to later human settlements in North America (Tuluaq Hill, Bluefish Caves and Swan Point) suggest that the crossings of Beringia may have taken place between 26,000 and 18,000 years ago.

However, the discovery of “Naia” has confused academics as the girl had skull characteristics that distinguish her from modern Native Americans.  For instance, the skull is narrower and this and the other anatomical differences led researchers to propose that the first people of the New World might represent an earlier migration from a different part of the world, than the true forebears of today’s modern Native Americans.

Analysis of the mtDNA extracted from a wisdom tooth identifies the girl as belonging to the same Asian-derived genetic lineage as those of modern Native Americans.  The tooth along with bone samples was used to provide an estimate of the age of the human material.

The genetic data, although far from comprehensive suggests that the physical facial and skull differences between the first New World inhabitants and today’s Native American population probably arose due to evolutionary changes after the first migrants had crossed over from Beringia.

The study was led by the Mexican Government’s National Institute of Anthropology and History supported by the National Geographic Society.  In addition, to the human remains the researchers are keen to put the prehistoric mammal fossil discoveries on display once they have been prepared.

In terms of human migration, the arrival of our species in America happened relatively recently.  Homo sapiens (if we accept the “out of Africa” theory), has been steadily spreading out from Africa for the last 130,000 years or so.

To read an article about the recent discovery of a H. sapiens skull in Laos that is helping to map the progress of the earliest settlers in Asia: Laos Man and the Spread of Humans into South-East Asia.

15 05, 2014

Questions We Get Asked

By |2023-03-13T10:05:36+00:00May 15th, 2014|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Press Releases, Teaching|0 Comments

Frequently Asked Questions Page Completed

The FAQs (frequently asked questions) section of the new dinosaurs in school website being devised by Everything Dinosaur team members has been completed.  Banners have been prepared and uploaded and the text has now been added.  This is the latest part of the website to be finished and a spokesperson for the company stated that the project was on schedule with the list of typical questions that staff get asked added to the appropriate section of the new site.

Everything Dinosaur

One of the FAQs Banners Being Used on the New Website

New website nears completion.

New website nears completion.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur visits schools, museums, after school clubs, and youth groups to delivery innovative and very educational dinosaur and fossil themed workshops.  It seemed appropriate therefore, to feature both fossils and a little boy’s drawing of a dinosaur on the banner used as the featured image on the FAQs section of the new website.

These pages will provide a handy guide to those museum curators, scout group leaders and teaching staff who want to find out more about the teaching and educational services the team at Everything Dinosaur deliver.

The teaching staff always try to dove-tail their teaching work into the aims and objectives of the national curriculum whilst at the same time ensuring that the teaching is delivered in a fun, memorable and entertaining manner. Staff are away today carrying out a number of teaching sessions in Wales, working specifically with Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 students.  Perhaps some examples of the work of these students as they study rocks, fossils and evolution will be included on Everything Dinosaur’s new website dedicated to teaching about prehistoric life.

To visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website selling dinosaur toys, models and games: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

14 05, 2014

Preparing for the New Schleich Dinosaur Models

By |2023-03-13T10:03:25+00:00May 14th, 2014|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Press Releases|0 Comments

Imminent Arrival of Four New Dinosaur Models (Schleich Prehistoric Animals)

Everything Dinosaur is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the four, new dinosaur models from Schleich of Germany.  Fact sheets have been prepared, drawing materials commissioned and everything is in place to welcome these latest additions to the company’s huge model range.

Schleich Models Available from Everything Dinosaur

Four new dinosaurs coming soon.

Four new dinosaurs coming soon including a Schleich Pentaceratops. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

New Schleich Dinosaur Models

Three of the new dinosaurs are theropods, three are bipeds, two represent dinosaurs that Schleich have created models of before, two represent new species for the German manufacturer and all four are bound to please collectors and young dinosaur fans alike.

There is a brightly coloured horned dinosaur called Pentaceratops.  Not to be mistaken for Triceratops “five horned face” was a little smaller than “three-horned face”.  This herbivorous dinosaur was named and described by the same scientist who described Tyrannosaurus rex.  Talking of T. rex Schleich are introducing a second replica of this fearsome carnivore into their “Prehistoric Life” series.  This one is a lighter green version, it has an articulated lower jaw, just like the other Tyrannosaurus rex in the range that we at Everything Dinosaur refer to as the “World of History”.

Adding a Velociraptor

Not to be outdone, the existing Velociraptor model  has a new, colourful partner.  The new green Velociraptor has a moveable lower jaw and moveable arms.

Say Hello to the New Velociraptor Dinosaur Model from Schleich

Velociraptor Dinosaur Model from Schleich.

Velociraptor Dinosaur Model from Schleich.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

All the models are designed for creative, imaginative play and are robust enough to survive even the toughest of geological periods.

The final model to be added to the Dinosaurier, (as our German friends call the dinosaurs), is a wonderful model of the bizarre theropod dinosaur called Therizinosaurus.   This dinosaur model too, has an articulated lower jaw and moveable arms.  Look out for those amazing three-fingered claws on this dinosaur, whose ancestors ate meat but which took up a vegetarian diet.

The Schleich Therizinosaurus Dinosaur Model

The "Freddy Kruger" of the Dinosaur Family

The “Freddy Kruger” of the dinosaur family.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of Schleich prehistoric animal models: Schleich Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Figures.

Time to make some space in our warehouse to accommodate these new additions.

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