All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.
8 03, 2015

International Women’s Day 2015

By |2023-03-24T17:58:49+00:00March 8th, 2015|Educational Activities, Press Releases, Teaching|0 Comments

Recognising the Role of Women in Science and Education

Today, March 8th is International Women’s Day.  A day for celebrating the role of women in society, women in science and for championing the continuing struggle for equality.  Although, the origins of this special day go back to pre World War One, the fight to recognise the role of women in society continues and we at Everything Dinosaur, with our female boss, take time out to recognise the immense contribution of women to the Earth Sciences and science teaching.

Women in Science

Our team members have been lucky enough to have worked with some of the most enthusiastic and engaging science teachers in the country.  This dedicated group, many of which, at the Primary School level at least are women, are tasked with enthusing and motivating the next generation of scientists.

Take for example, Miss Sparre, a Primary School teacher we met last week.  As part of her mixed Year 1/FS2 classes’s study of dinosaurs they had turned part of the classroom into a dinosaur museum.  The children were eager to show off their museum to our fossil expert who had come to the school to conduct a dinosaur workshop.

A Science Museum in the Classroom

Come to our dinosaur museum!

Come to our dinosaur museum! Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists

Young Megan, (aged five), had been to the “Jurassic Coast” of Dorset and found lots of amazing ammonite and belemnite fossils, she was delighted to be able to explain what the fossils mean and we presented her with a drawing of what an ammonite looked like when it swam in the Mesozoic seas.  The contribution to science and education by women has been immense and with enthusiastic young Megan explaining that she too, wants to be a palaeontologist, the important role of women in science is set to continue.

Everything Dinosaur supplies a range of ammonite, belemnite and trilobite replicas helping young people to better understand the animals represented by iconic fossils.  To view this range in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Replicas of Fossil Animals, Toys and Games.

8 03, 2015

Celebrating International Women’s Day

By |2023-03-24T17:56:41+00:00March 8th, 2015|General Teaching|Comments Off on Celebrating International Women’s Day

March 8th International Women’s Day

Today, the 8th of March is celebrated all over the world as International Women’s Day, a celebration of the role of women in the world and highlighting welfare, social and other issues surrounding women’s rights. Although the origins of this day go back to the early years of the 20th Century,  the fight to give women equality is still extremely relevant today, perhaps even more so.  We at Everything Dinosaur, commemorate this date by recognising the contribution women have made and continue to make to science and to education.

International Women’s Day

Pushing back the boundaries of human understanding in the Earth sciences, today we pay tribute to the pioneering Marie Stopes, the famous suffragette and exponent of birth control.  Dr Stopes (1880-1958) was a highly respected palaeobotanist, who did much to improve our understanding of plant evolution.  She was the first female science lecturer at Manchester University and Everything Dinosaur team members have been privileged to have seen some of the prehistoric plant specimens that Marie herself studied as she strove to understand and date coal measures.

Pioneer Marie Stopes Helped to Encourage More Women into Science Careers

Celebrating women in science

A collection of women scientists part of a poster montage spotted during a school visit. Celebrating International Women’s Day. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

From the nursery and FS1 through to post-graduate and beyond we celebrate the role of women science teachers, your contribution to helping the wider population to understand and appreciate this amazing planet, in an astonishing universe is vital.  Long may women continue to lead the way in a number of academic fields.

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

7 03, 2015

How Long and Heavy was Megalosaurus?

By |2022-10-02T07:22:30+01:00March 7th, 2015|Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|1 Comment

Answering Questions from Young Dinosaur Fans

Lots of questions from dinosaur fans and model collectors this week.  Everything Dinosaur team members are spending some of today catching up with their correspondence.  One of the questions we have been asked this week concerned that Middle Jurassic theropod called Megalosaurus (M. bucklandii).  A couple of young dinosaur enthusiasts had enquired about just how big and heavy this dinosaur was.  This is a difficult question to answer, given the lectotype for this species is a partial right dentary, not too many clues there as to maximum body mass.   Some authors suggest a length of around six metres, although most suggest that this meat-eater grew to lengths in excess of nine metres.

As for body weight, this is not easy to estimate with any degree of certainly.  However, it is very likely that this dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic weighed in excess of one tonne, possibly as much as three tonnes, according to some authors.

Providing Information on Megalosaurus (M. bucklandii)

A scale drawing of Megalosaurus.

A scale drawing of Megalosaurus.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Questions from Dinosaur Fans

Regarded as a taxonomic wastebasket, the size of Megalosaurus still remains open to debate.  Although it was the first dinosaur to be scientifically described, fossil material associated with this theropod genus remains fragmentary. Until more unambiguous Megalosaurus fossil material is found, the true size of this carnivorous dinosaur will remain uncertain.

Megalosaurus bucklandii fossils.

A view of the skull and jaw material associated with the first dinosaur to be scientifically described (Megalosaurus). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur stocks a range of theropod dinosaur models including replicas of Megalosaurus.  To view for example, the Megalosaurus model from the London Natural History Museum range of figures: London Natural History Museum Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Figures.

6 03, 2015

Congratulations to Pegasus T. rex and Triceratops Model Kits

By |2023-03-24T17:53:07+00:00March 6th, 2015|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

Pegasus Dinosaur Model Kits Best Prehistoric Animal Model Kits of 2014

The Pegasus Tyrannosaurus rex and the Pegasus Triceratops model kits have been voted the best prehistoric animal model kits of 2014 by readers of “Prehistoric Times” magazine.  The beautiful and highly detailed models are based on sculptures created by Galileo Hernandez Nunez of Mexico and each replica is in approximately 1:24 scale.  Readers of “Prehistoric Times” magazine were asked to vote on the most impressive model introduced last year and these acclaimed kits won easily.

Pegasus Hobbies – Triceratops

Great quality model kit to build and paint.

Great quality model kit to build and paint.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“These are a superb range of scale model replicas which are aimed at dinosaur fans, collectors and model builders.  Designed by top figure sculptors, they provide model makers from fourteen years and upwards with the chance to assemble and paint fantastic prehistoric animal replicas.  Each model in the range, including the new Spinosaurus, is supplied with its own educational fact sheet, researched and written by Everything Dinosaur team members.”

To view the range of Pegasus Hobbies dinosaur kits: Pegasus Hobbies Kits.

Top Quality Tyrannosaurus rex Replica Kit

A model kit featuring the "Tyrant Lizard King".

A model kit featuring the “Tyrant Lizard King”.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur team members would like to add their congratulations to Pegasus Hobbies.

6 03, 2015

Year 6 Study Life in the Past

By |2023-03-24T17:51:20+00:00March 6th, 2015|General Teaching, Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Year 6 Study Life in the Past

Combe Down Year 6 Classes Study Life in the Past

Children in Year 6 (classes 6RH and 6W), have been learning all about life in the past and natural selection.  With the likes of Stonehenge on their doorstep, the school in the pretty village of Combe Down is surrounded by evidence of Stone Age and Bronze Age settlements.  The children have been studying life in the past and making some wonderful charcoal impressions of cave paintings as well as some very realistic prehistoric jewellery.

Life in the Past

Stone Age Studies for School Pupils

Children Learn about the Stone Age.

“Stomp, stomp, roar”! The class make books about dinosaurs. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

These studies helped the students as they are now going on to study evolution and natural selection whilst in Upper Key Stage 2.  Both classes in Year 6 will be studying evolution and a visit from Everything Dinosaur provided a perfect provocation to help kick the topic off.  The teaching team too, were grateful for the visit from Everything Dinosaur.

Dinosaur Workshop

The fossil expert was able to provide a foundation for the children’s studies and to point out to them that their school was made from limestone formed during the Jurassic (Bathonian limestone).  Year 6 certainly enjoyed their evolution workshop and Everything Dinosaur promised to send onto the school addition resources linked to extinction and habitat change so that the teachers could undertake some exciting extension activities.

Contact Everything Dinosaur to see the range of models, toys and gifts: Everything Dinosaur.

5 03, 2015

The Very Complicated Human Family Tree

By |2023-03-24T17:48:52+00:00March 5th, 2015|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Geology, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

New Research and New Discoveries Shed Light on our Ancestry

If anyone has had an opportunity to trace their family tree, then they know that given the wealth of data around today, a few clicks of the keyboard can provide a great deal of information about your family.  However, when it comes to tracing the origins of the “human family”, the evolution of our own species, then things are much more tricky.  New research published today in the journal “Nature” is helping to unravel the complicated journey that hominins have taken, a journey that eventually saw the emergence of our species, Homo sapiens sometime around 220,000 years ago.

Homo habilis

Using a fossilised very human-like partial jawbone found at Ledi-Geraru, (Ethiopia), which has been dated to around 2.8 million years ago, in addition with already described material, an international team of scientists have reconstructed the skull of the early hominin Homo habilis (handy man) and looked at the ancestry of this species.  The research team included scientists from the University College London, in collaboration with the National Museums of Tanzania and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig, Germany).

This new research helps to establish the human lineage and to determine what makes H. habilis so distinctive from the early Australopithecines such as the famous “Lucy” fossil –  A. afarensis which ironically, was discovered not too far from where the 2.8 million year old hominin lower jaw was found.  However, the fossils of “Lucy” are much older.  The partial skeleton of “Lucy” has been dated to around 3.2 million years ago.

The Famous “Lucy”

To read more about an exhibition that features the remarkable preserved remains of “Lucy”: Pictures from an Exhibition.

The first fossils of “handy man”, Homo habilis were described in 1964.  They consisted of a distorted lower jaw, hand bones and a highly fragmented braincase, all representing the bones of a single individual.  These fossils were catalogued as Olduvai hominin (OH7).   The rarity of early human bones, along with the very distorted remains associated with the earliest evidence of H. habilis made determining the unique characteristics and features of this species extremely difficult.

However, this research team utilised state-of-the-art computerised tomography and sophisticated computer modelling to unscramble the distorted remains and to piece together a reconstruction of the skull and jaws of Homo habilis.

The Human Family Tree

The question that has puzzled palaeoanthropologists since the scientific description of Homo habilis and the subsequent discovery of more Australopithecine fossil remains was, could the likes of “Lucy” have evolved into the very first human-like creatures? Professor Brian Villmoare (University of Nevada), believes that the discovery of this 2.8 million year old jaw bone, complete with five teeth helps to confirm this hypothesis.

The Fossilised Jaw Bone (2.8 million years old)

Something for the palaeoanthropologists to get their teeth into.

Something for the palaeoanthropologists to get their teeth into.

Picture credit: Brian Villmoare (University of Nevada)

The problem is this, the fossil record between the time period when “Lucy” and her kin were alive and the emergence of Homo erectus (with its relatively large brain and human-like body proportions), some two million years ago, is extremely sparse.  What has been found, is also very fragmentary, making tracing evolutionary links difficult.  The ancient human-like jawbone is highly significant.  The molar teeth are much smaller and less robust than those of other hominins known from the fossil record.  It is the size of the jaws and the teeth wherein that helps scientists to distinguish more human-like species from those which are more ape-like.

Commenting on the significance of this fossil find, scientists have stated that this new discovery pushes back the human evolutionary line by some 400,000 years or so.  The fossilised jawbone with its mix of primitive and more advanced traits makes it a candidate for a transitional species between the Australopithecines and the human family tree.

The Digital Reconstruction of the Skull and Jaws of Homo Habilis

The digitally mapped and reconstructed skull of H. habilis.

The digitally mapped and reconstructed skull of H. habilis.

Picture credit: University College London

“Handy Man”

The “handy man” fossil material having undergone its computer modelling reveals new information about the jaw shape.  The computer having reassembled the distorted jaw described in 1964, to provide a more accurate reflection of the living bone.  The research published in “Nature” suggests that Homo habilis has older evolutionary roots than previously thought.  This research supports the idea that many different types of Homo species existed in Africa between 2.1 and 1.6 million years ago.

Climate change, leading to a much drier, deforested habitat may have led to a spurt in evolutionary experimentation as species adapted to the new environment and exploited new niches in the changing ecosystem.  The modelled lower jaw reveals primitive traits such as seen in Australopithecine fossil material, but it also has more advanced features, distinguishing H. habilis from its contemporary Homo rudolfensis.

The potential transitional link between hominins and Australopithecines remained elusive until the University of Nevada discovery of the 2.8 million year old jawbone.  The fossil, known as LD 350-1 is an excellent candidate for the ancestor of Homo habilis and other early hominins.

 Commenting on the fossil jawbone discovery, Dr Villmoare stated:

“LD 350-1 reveals that many of the anatomical patterns we see in two million year old Homo were established much earlier in the evolution of the genus.  At 2.8 million years ago we see relatively evolved Homo traits in combination with other, much more primitive anatomical features, a result that is particularly interesting in light of the shape of the OH7 reconstruction.”

4 03, 2015

How to Weigh a Stegosaurus

By |2023-03-24T17:19:23+00:00March 4th, 2015|General Teaching|Comments Off on How to Weigh a Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus Weighs 1.6 Tonnes

Scientists at the Natural History Museum (London), have embarked on a research project to learn more about one of the most iconic of the dinosaurs – Stegosaurus.  Back in November 2014, Everything Dinosaur team members reported on the building of a new exhibit at the museum, one that features the most complete fossilised skeleton of a Stegosaurus stenops found to date.  The fossilised remains are more than 80% complete and the skull is exquisitely preserved.  This specimen is going to be the focus of an on-going research project into these armoured dinosaurs, the first of its kind for eighty years.

Stegosaurus

“Sophie” the Stegosaurus Weighs 1.6 Tonnes

"Sophie" the Stegosaurus on display.

A posterior view of the spectacular “Sophie” the Stegosaurus (S. stenops” exhibit at the London Natural History Museum. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Weighing a Stegosaurus

Prior to the fossils being mounted in their exhibit pose, every single bone was scanned and digitally recorded.  Using this information, it was possible to calculate the weight of this Late Jurassic herbivore.  The research team have concluded that the Stegosaurus nick-named “Sophie” weighed in at 1.6 metric Tonnes.  That’s heavier than a Ford Focus car,  a Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis) and about as heavy as twenty adult men.  Palaeontologists require information about body mass as it is a key component in calculations related to locomotion and metabolism.

Commenting on the significance of this research, published in the academic journal “Biology Letters”, lead author Dr Charlotte Brassey stated:

“If we want to estimate how fast an animal runs, you need body mass; if you want to say something about their metabolism, you need to know their body mass.  So, yes, we’re really glad that we’ve been able to get hold of this very early on, and now what I’m looking to do is begin to strap muscles on to our computer models so that we can get her walking to say something about locomotion.”

To view the extensive range of Stegosaurus figures and models in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur Models and Prehistoric Animals.

4 03, 2015

“Sophie” The Stegosaurus at 1.6 Tonnes

By |2023-03-24T17:16:59+00:00March 4th, 2015|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans|1 Comment

Scientists Calculate the Body Mass of a Stegosaurus

A team of scientists based at the Natural History Museum (London), have calculated the weight of “Sophie”, the beautifully preserved and nearly complete Stegosaurus fossil skeleton that has been on display at the museum since last November.  This is the first set of data to be released about this, most iconic dinosaur, famous for its tiny brain and those remarkable plates running along its back.  The research team headed by Dr Paul Barrett hope to release more findings throughout the year.  The weight of the 5.6 metre long animal, has been calculated at 1.6 Tonnes, not a bad size for a dinosaur that was not yet fully grown when she died.

“Sophie” the Stegosaurus

“Sophie” The Stegosaurus Weighs 1,600 Kilogrammes

Stegosaurus specimen on display.

Right lateral View of “Sophie” the Stegosaurus (London Natural History Museum).

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Calculating the Weight of an Armoured Dinosaur

Team members at Everything Dinosaur predicted at the beginning of the year that much more information would be known about stegosaurs over the course of 2015 thanks to the palaeontologists and other scientists based at the museum.  It was one of the company’s “palaeontology predictions” for this year.  Ironically, despite this dinosaur’s popularity (it came in at number four in Everything Dinosaur’s most popular prehistoric animals survey), very little academic work has been carried out on Stegosaurus for more than eighty years.

Palaeontologists like Dr Charlotte Brassey, the lead author of a paper about “Sophie” and her body weight are changing all that, the doctor and her colleagues will be embarking on a series of research projects aimed at helping us to learn more about this Late Jurassic herbivore.  The first research paper has just been published in the journal “Biology Letters”.  Knowing the body mass of an animal is very important as it allows researchers to answer a lot more questions once this data has been established.

Estimating Body Weight

Dr Brassey explained:

“If we want to estimate how fast an animal runs, you need body mass; if you want to say something about their metabolism, you need to know their body mass.  So, yes, we’re really glad that we’ve been able to get hold of this very early on, and now what I’m looking to do is begin to strap muscles on to our computer models so that we can get her walking to say something about locomotion.”

The specimen, originally from Wyoming, consists of over 360 individual bones, about 80% of this material is actually fossil, the rest of the skeleton has been built up using casts of other specimens and reconstructions of missing pieces.  Prior to the skeleton being put on display, each one of these objects was scanned and mapped onto a computer programme using a Computer Aided Design (CAD) package.  It was from this modelling data that an estimated body mass of 1.6 Tonnes was calculated.  Although not fully grown, “Sophie” still weighed more than the fifteen players in England’s rugby team combined.

Stegosaurus

More traditional methods of calculating body weight involve measuring the circumference of the femur (thigh bone) and the humerus (upper arm bone).  The ratios between these two bones and body weight in extant animals is well established, the bigger the circumference the heavier the animal is the simple rule.  The new CAD modelling technique agrees with the figure for body mass calculated using the measurements from the major limb bones.  The scientists are confident that their data is correct and “Sophie” weighed in at around 1.6 Tonnes.  This suggests that a fully grown Stegosaurus stenops probably weighed more than three thousand kilogrammes.

A Fully Grown Stegosaurus Probably Weighed More Than Three Tonnes

A remarkable dinosaur.

A remarkable dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

We look forward to learning more about stegosaurs, one question that does need answering for example, is this, should we refer to this Stegosaurus as “Sophie”?  Will the scientists be able to confirm that this individual was a female?

To view the range of Natural History Museum dinosaur models in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Natural History Musuem Dinosaur Models.

3 03, 2015

A Trip to the Bathonian

By |2023-03-24T17:13:22+00:00March 3rd, 2015|Educational Activities, Geology, Teaching|0 Comments

The Bathonian Stage of the Middle Jurassic

Just like a book is divided up into chapters so geological time is divided up into a series of units.  There are Eons, Eras, Periods, Epochs, and faunal stages, these are the typical units of division when it comes to exploring the geological timescale.  A point reinforced when a team member from Everything Dinosaur made a visit to Somerset recently.

The Geological Timescale

Descending order of size for the units of the geological timescale (deep time):

  • Eon for example, the Phanerozoic (visible life) from 542 mya to the present day.
  • Era for example, the Mesozoic, from 251 mya to 66 mya) or thereabouts.
  • Period, for example, the Jurassic (199 mya to 145 mya) approximately.
  • Epochs, for example, the Middle Jurassic (175 mya -161 mya) approximately.
  • Stages or Ages such as the Bathonian (167.7 mya to 164.7 mya) approximately.

We mention this, as whilst working with Year 6 children and their teachers in the Bath area, we explained that the limestone rocks in their part of the world, were used as building materials and have been quarried for centuries.  Many of the buildings around the school, and the walls of the school were constructed using these limestones.  These limestones are the preserved remains of the shells of ancient sea creatures, that lived during the Jurassic.

Bathonian Faunal Stage

The Bathonian faunal stage was named after the spa town of Bath and the limestone found in this part of south-western England.  It was included in scientific literature as early as 1843.  A number of ammonite species are recognised from this Middle Jurassic strata and they help to provide a biostratigraphic profile and assist with relative ageing of the rocks.  Bathonian rocks have provided a number of dinosaur fossil remains including sauropods, armoured dinosaurs, meat-eaters and even a distant relative of the most famous dinosaur of all Tyrannosaurus rex (Proceratosaurus).

Typical Bathonian Limestones used as Local Building Materials

A faunal stage of the Middle Jurassic named after the spa town of Bath.

A faunal stage of the Middle Jurassic named after the spa town of Bath.

It was a nice moment to ask the school children did they want to see something from the Jurassic?  When they all said yes, we simply asked them to look out of the window.

For replicas and models of Jurassic prehistoric animals and other extinct creatures: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

2 03, 2015

Feedback from an Everything Dinosaur Customer

By |2023-03-24T17:10:09+00:00March 2nd, 2015|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

A Customer Provides Feedback to Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur prides itself in providing exceptional customer service.  To date we have had posted onto our website Everything Dinosaur a total of 1,247 customer reviews, that’s a total of forty-seven reviews since we passed our landmark of 1,200 reviews on line on the 22nd December 2014.

In addition, we receive lots of emails and letters from customers telling us how pleased they are with our service and our products.  We are grateful for all the feedback and support that we receive.

Everything Dinosaur Feedback

Here is a typical comment emailed to us:

“I can only express my experience with high praise as I am greatly impressed on the incredible service that I have received.  Not only was the website easy to use to make an order but the continued support and peace of mind from yourself on my purchase increased my first time experience to make me want to sing your website with praise and guarantee a return visit for many more purchases.”

The customer added:

“Everything was packaged extremely well and the initial time of ordering and receiving my items was extremely satisfying.  I was further increased with joy on my order to receive very interesting fact sheets on the dinosaurs I purchased which ideally creates a very pleasant sense of care and detail put into my order than just putting items into a box.  I know it isn’t much but a hand written address also gives that personal touch that each of your items are well looked after and your wanting to ensure that every transaction runs smoothly.  Your full team are fantastic and have made a loyal returning customer out of me.”

It is always a pleasure to hear from our customers.

Always a Pleasure to Hear from Customers

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated:

” We all try our very best to help customers and to provide a very high level of customer care.  It is the extra touches such as taking time to hand write address labels so they are checked by a person, adding fact sheets to parcels and emailing customers to let them know that their order has been received that really sets Everything Dinosaur apart.”

Everything Dinosaur must be doing something right!  This small company made up of dedicated teachers and dinosaur experts has received nearly fifty reviews on its website, twenty-one 4* or better reviews on the teaching website since the turn of the year and sixty-three “likes” on its Facebook page since the 23rd February.

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