Male Dinosaurs May Not Have Looked after the Nest After All

Back in December 2008, Everything Dinosaur published details of an academic paper that concluded that male Theropod dinosaurs undertook the majority of the brooding of eggs in nests.  Dr. David Varricchio (Montana State University) and his colleagues assessed the known nest fossil material of three Theropod dinosaurs from Upper Cretaceous strata.  The dinosaurs studied were Citipati osmolskae, Oviraptor philoceratops (both Oviraptorids) and Troodon formosus (Dromaeosaurid).  The team used a number of methodologies to conclude that, just like 90% of the birds species alive today, it was the male Theropods who did most of the brooding on the nests.  The conclusions were reached after examining fossils for evidence of bone cavities associated with the loss of calcium from the body in order to produce egg shell.  Such cavities would be expected to be seen only in females.  Since none of the fossil bones included in the study showed such cavities, it was suggested that the individual dinosaurs found in close proximity to a nest of their own species were probably male.

A Close up of a Theropod Dinosaur Nest

New study casts doubt on the “doting dinosaur fathers” theory.

The number of eggs laid per nest compared to the body size of the adult dinosaur supported this view that the brooding dinosaurs were male.   The study proposed that Theropod dinosaurs produced unusually large numbers of eggs per nest for their body size.  This pattern is often seen in extant Aves (bird species alive today), when the male alone takes on the parental duties.  The female can afford to lay more eggs, as she will not be looking after them so she can be away from her maternal duties and get back to feeding herself up to replenish lost reserves in her body.  So it was concluded that the Theropod males brooded the nest and probably played a significant role in looking after the hatch-lings.

To view an article on the original research: Doting Fathers – A Dinosaur Trait Passed Onto Birds

However, scientists from the University of Lincoln (England), have reviewed the data used in the 2008 study and they have come up with a different interpretation of the fossil evidence.

It is very difficult to infer behaviour, especially something as complicated as parental behaviour with just the fragmentary fossil record to go on.  In the review of the 2008 research, a number of factors known to affect egg and clutch sizes in living bird species were not taken into account.  A new scaling analysis of the clutch masses of birds suggests that the type of parental care may not be inferred.  The evolutionary relationship between the Theropods and Aves may be widely accepted but this does not necessarily mean that these two types of creature raised their young in the same or similar ways.   The maturity of the hatch-lings precocial (independent  young) or altricial (dependent young) would have a significant bearing on the behaviour of the parents.  Intriguingly, the new study from the University of Lincoln team suggests that most Theropods seem to exhibit precociality (hatch-lings born relatively mature and independent to a degree from their parents).

The male Theropod dinosaurs may not have been such dedicated dads after all.

Dr. Charles Deeming (School of Life Sciences) and his Lincoln University colleagues point out a number of factors that need to be considered before attempting to work out how adult Theropods behaved around the nest.  Dr. Deeming specialises in the study of avian and reptilian reproduction, he is very well placed to compare extinct fauna with extant descendants.  For example, a number of bird species today, deliberately lay their eggs in another bird’s nest so as to avoid any form of parental responsibility at all.  This will distort the size of some nests, Theropod dinosaurs may have behaved in the same way.  There are evolutionary advantages when it comes to getting others to do work for you.

Oviraptorid Nests were Part of the Study

Dinosaur nests carefully examined.

Picture Credit: Cincinnati Museum Centre

Dr. Deeming and his team took a different approach to the statistical analysis.  They counted the eggs in all known fossil nests for the Theropod species included in the original study and then worked out an average clutch size for each species.  Dr. Varricchio and the Montana State University researchers had based their calculations on the largest clutch size for each dinosaur species.

When the British-based team compared their average figures with the adult dinosaur body mass, they found that the Theropod dinosaurs were not included in the group of male-only brooders.

Commenting on the earlier research, Dr. Deeming stated:

“The Varricchio analysis is now being used by other palaeontologists working on other dinosaur species.  It’s time to stand up and say it doesn’t quite work.”

For Dr. Varricchio, the new insight is most welcome, but he warns:

“Regardless of what this paper or our paper says, we are really operating with only a few pieces of the puzzle.  To address the [parental] care in these dinosaurs, one needs to consider their other relatives and not just birds.  For instance, crocodiles, which share a common ancestor with all dinosaurs, might be one source of clues to dinosaur brooding behaviour.”

The two research teams are agreed on certain points, there is a need for further study and looking at the nests of crocodiles may yield useful data.

Dr. Deeming added:

“If you look at the eggs in those dinosaur nests, they’re structure is similar to crocodile eggs.”

Crocodilians bury their eggs and the temperature at which the nest is kept is essential for healthy hatch-lings, the temperature of the nest also determines the sex of the offspring.  A buried nest hypothesis would add an additional and very significant factor to any parental behaviour study.

Dr. Deeming concluded by saying:

“Crocodiles don’t incubate their eggs, they just sit on the buried eggs to protect them from predators.  I think that’s probably what was going on in the dinosaurs too.”

It is difficult to assign behaviour to fossil material, in the absence of a time machine and an ability to travel back to the Late Cretaceous to observe Oviraptorids and Dromaeosaurs in the breeding season, this debate is likely to rumble on.

Researcher Identifies That Fossils Ascribed to Euoplocephalus Actually Represent Different Species

The taxonomic classification of the Ankylosaurids just got a whole lot more complicated, or to put it another way, a University of Alberta graduate researcher has reaffirmed analysis carried out in the early part of the 20th Century that proposed more species of armoured dinosaur in North America.  It seems that fossils assigned to one species of Ankylosaur,  known as Euoplocephalus tutus may represent a total of four different species of armoured dinosaur.  Subtle differences noted by the student, originally identified by palaeontologists nearly one hundred years ago, suggest that the genera of Dyoplosaurus, Anodontosaurus and Scolosaurus may have to be resurrected.  This leads to the intriguing question of why were there so many kinds of big, armoured dinosaur and how were some species able to live alongside each other in the same habitats?

The research has just been published in the scientific publication,  ”PLoS One”, the Public Library of Science.

The Ankylosaur group of dinosaurs are often referred to as “living tanks” as some members of this group of bird-hipped dinosaurs (Ornithischians) were very wide-bodied, heavily armoured and possessed clubs on the end of their tails.  As these types of Ankylosaur are known from Upper Cretaceous sediments of North America and Asia it had been suggested that their defensive armour and vicious tail clubs evolved so that these slow moving creatures could withstand attack from the massive Tyrannosaurids, which were the apex predators.  Indeed, most media images of creatures such as Ankylosaurus (A. magniventris) and the Chinese Ankylosaur Shanxia (S. tianzhenensis) depict these squat, heavy reptiles defending themselves against an attack from a Tyrannosaur by swinging their savage tail clubs.  That may be the popular image of Ankylosaurs, but the fossil record for these herbivores of the Late Cretaceous reveals that there may be a lot more to this clade of the Dinosauria, for example, one University of Alberta researcher has suggested that several different types of these giants could have lived in the same environment at the same time.

A Model of a Typical Ankylosaurid (A. magniventris)

Armoured Dinosaur – Ankylosaurus

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Ankylosaurs and the Stegosaurs are grouped together into a sub-group of the Ornithischia known as Thyreophorans (shield bearers).  These dinosaurs are characterised by the presence of armour plates on the top and along the sides of their bodies.  Late Cretaceous Ankylosaurs like the eleven metre long A. magniventris had huge plates of armour on the neck and shoulders, with smaller plates running in rows along the flanks.  The tail, stiffened by fused bony tendons posessed a massive, bony club on the end, in essence modified caudal vertebrae.

It was Franz Nopsca, back in 1915 who first suggested that these types of dinosaurs be classified into a sub-group, the Thyreophora, although he included the horned dinosaurs (Ceratopsians) as well.  Between 1900 and the  early 1930s there was an extensive programme of dinosaur classification undertaken, partly due to the large number of new dinosaur fossils, including armoured dinosaurs being discovered in Canada and the western United States.  A number of new Ankylosaurid species were established most based on fragmentary fossils such as individual skull specimens and vertebrae.

Euoplocephalus (E. tutus) , a species named by Lawrence Lambe in 1902 was an exception.  This dinosaur is represented by a very much larger number of fossils than most other types of Ankylosaurid.  It is also unusual as fossils ascribed to Euoplocephalus have been found in the Dinosaur Park, Horseshoe Canyon and Two Medicine Formations.  These Formations represent several million years of worth of geological deposits and this implies that the Ankylosaur known as Euoplocephalus existed as a species for a very long time.  Earlier studies from the 20th Century assigned a number of genera to the fossils, dinosaur genera such as Scolosaurus (Scolosaurus cutleri), Anodontosaurus (A. lambe) and Dyoplosaurus (D. acutosquameus) were established.

Following a review in the 1970s, all these types of Ankylosaur were reclassified as belonging to the Euoplocephalus genus.  However, University of Alberta researcher, Victoria Arbour undertook a comprehensive review of the fossil material and her study suggests the 20th Century scientists may have been right all along.  She visited museum collections in North America and Europe and carefully examined small variations in the configuration of the skull armour and the bony tail clubs.  Her analysis suggests that the fossils grouped together under the Euoplocephalus genus do actually constitute four individual species of dinosaur.

Arbour explained that:

“In the 1970s the earlier work was discarded and those four species were lumped into one called species Euoplocephalus.  I examined many fossils and found I could group some fossils together because their skull armour corresponded with a particular shape of their tail club.”

Simplified Explanation of Differences between the Four Ankylosaurids

Simplified comparison table.

Table Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The four species span a period of geological time of around ten million years from the Late Campanian faunal stage of the Cretaceous into the Maastrichtian and her research shows that the Dinosaur Provincial Park Formation had three different types of armoured Ankylosaurid dinosaur living in that region of Alberta at the same time.   Her work suggests that Scolosaurus, Dyoplosaurus and Euoplocephalus shared the same environment, if these very similar creatures lived in the same habitat it begs several questions such as how were the food resources divided up?  How did all three species manage to survive?  How much interspecific competition would there have been?

Stratigraphic Distribution of Campanian-Maastrichtian Ankylosaurids in the Study

Stratigraphic distribution of Campanian-Maastrichtian Ankylosaurid species.

Table Credit: Journal PLoS One

Previously, Victoria had examined Ankylosaur tail clubs with a view to understanding how they might have been used as defensive weapons, to read an article about her earlier research: Ankylosaurs had a Smashing Time

This also has implications for the fossil material that remains ascribed to Euoplocephalus.  The re-division of the Euoplocephalus fossil material into four species means that there was not the degree of individual variation in the Euoplocephalus tutus species as once thought.

Skulls of Ankylosaurids Compared (Dorsal View – looking at the tops of the skull)

Dorsal view of Ankylosaurid skull material used in study.

Picture Credit: Journal PLoS One

There has been much debate between palaeontologists as to how to distinguish A. magniventris fossil material with that ascribed to E. tutus. The re-classification of a significant portion of the Euoplocephlus material to other species may muddy the waters somewhat further.  Although, E. tutus material is still substantial and it remains one of the more complete Ankylosaurid genera in terms of the number of fossils known, Arbour’s research now leaves no specimen of Euoplocephalus that includes bony armour “in situ” in relation to other skeletal material.  In short, the arrangement of the armour (osteoderms) on Euoplocephalus is now very much open to question.

Ornamentation Patterns on the Tops of Ankylosaurid Skulls Compared

Cranial ornamentation in Ankylosaurids compared.

Picture Credit: Journal PLoS One

The picture above shows a number of the skulls that were analysed in the study (dorsal view, viewed from the top).  The skull marked as CMN 0210 is the holotype for Euoplocephalus tutus (top left), CMN 8530 is the holotype material associated with Anodontosaurus lambei (bottom row on left) and ROM 784 is the holotype for Dyoplosaurus acutosquameus, adjacent to the Euoplocephalus holotype.

It seems there is a lot more to learn about when it comes to these heavily armoured dinosaurs commonly referred to as “living tanks”.

The First of the Bone-heads

A team of North American scientists have announced the discovery of a new species of Pachycephalosaur.  Pachycephalosaurs are bird-hipped members of the Dinosauria commonly referred to as the bone-headed dinosaurs.  Pachycephalosaurids are known from Upper Cretaceous fossil bearing sediments of the northern latitudes, most notably from North America. Much of our knowledge about this group comes from a few well-preserved skeletons ascribed to the genus Stegoceras.  Other species have been identified based on the fossilised remains of their thickened skulls.  Indeed, so thick are the skull bones (frontal and parietal), that often these are the only fossils ascribed to a particular genera, the rest of the skeleton material presumably having been lost to erosion or failing to be preserved.

This new species, named Acrotholus audeti may be one of the oldest types of Pachycephalosaur discovered to date, certainly a candidate for the oldest Pachycephalosaur known from North America.  The genus name means “high dome” a reference to the thickened skull, whilst the specific name honours Roy Audet, on whose land the best-preserved specimen of skull material was found back in 2008.  The scientists from the Royal Ontario Museum/University of Toronto along with co-researcher Dr Michael Ryan, curator of vertebrate palaeontology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History have used the example of this Pachycephalosaur to attest that there may have been many more different kinds of smaller dinosaurs than previously thought.  The team state that the fragile, lighter bones of smaller dinosaurs would not have survived to the present day, unlike some of the bones of their giant cousins.  In this way, the fossil record may be biased towards large dinosaurs and the small dinosaurs may be under represented.

The  Partial Skull Fossil of Acrotholus audeti (2008 Specimen)

The very thick skull of this new Pachycephalosaur.

Picture Credit: Royal Ontario Museum

Writing in the scientific publication, the “Journal of Nature Communications”, the research team describe their new dinosaur based on the remains of two skull domes, both from the Milk River Formation of southern Alberta (Canada).  The first specimen resides in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto), it was collected more than fifty years ago, the second specimen, the better preserved example, was discovered on rancher’s Roy Audet’s land in 2008.

The Site of the Dome Skull Discovery (2008)

The white arrow in the centre of the picture shows the location of the fossil find.

Picture Credit: Journal of Nature Communications

The picture above shows the location of the 2008 fossil find, it has been marked by a small pile of rocks, the rucksack in the foreground provides scale.

The fossils have been dated to approximately 85 million years ago (Santonian faunal stage of the Late Cretaceous).  This makes the fossils ascribed to A. audeti some of the oldest Pachycephalosaur material known.  Palaeontologists remain uncertain as to where and when the first true Pachycephalosaurs evolved.  Certainly, sometime in the Cretaceous a group of small, Ornithischian dinosaurs began to evolve reinforced skulls, but the paucity of the fossil record prevents scientists from tracing this clade’s particular family tree.  Some Pachycephalosaur material has been described from Upper Jurassic aged sediments, but since the fossil material is extremely fragmentary the placement within the Pachycephalosauridae is controversial.

Scientific Illustration of the New Pachycephalosaur Fossil Material

Dorsal, posterior and anterior views of the skull material.

Picture Credit: Journal of Nature Communications

When extant ecosystems are studied, it is very evident that alongside the megafauna there is a whole array of smaller animals living in the same habitat.  It is likely that ecosystems in the Mesozoic were very similar with many more types of small dinosaur (under one hundred kilogrammes), living amongst the much larger dinosaurs.  However, small dinosaur fossils are less common than the fossils of larger animals in the fossil record.  Is this preservation bias or a true reflection of the nature of dinosaur dominated communities?

The carcases of smaller animals would have been more easily consumed by scavengers, small bones would have been readily destroyed due to natural decay processes.  Even if they did fossilise and survived to the present day, as an example, a femur (thigh bone) of a fox-sized dinosaur would have been likely to be lost to the forces of erosion, abrasion, attrition etc. than the metatarsals (toe bones) of a dinosaur the size of an African elephant.

Intriguingly, the robust and very thick skull domes of Pachycephalosaurs that have survived to the present day may provide scientists with an insight into the diversity of small, Ornithischian dinosaurs that were around in North America during the Late Cretaceous.  The team that worked on the Acrotholus specimens, palaeontologists from the Royal Ontario Museum as well as graduates from the University of Toronto working in collaboration with scientists from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, suggest that there may have been many more types of smaller dinosaurs than previously thought.

An Illustration of Acrotholus audeti

In the shadow of larger dinosaurs, dog-sized Acrotholus walks next to larger dinosaur tracks.

Picture Credit: Julius Csotonyi

Dr Michael Ryan (Cleveland Museum of Natural History) stated:

“We can predict that many new small dinosaur species like Acrotholus audeti are waiting to be discovered by researchers willing to sort through the many small bones that they pick up in the field.”

The fossils of this new member of the Pachcephalosaurids, will be put on display this week at the Royal Ontario Museum, part of an exhibit that provides more information on the vertebrates found in the strata of the Milk River Formation.  Visitors to the museum will be able to see the skull bones of A. audeti and perhaps try to work out why these dinosaurs had such thickened skulls.  The skull bones of Acrotholus would have been up to ten centimetres thick, were the domed skulls used for display or did these dinosaurs butt heads just like some sheep and goats do today?

New Meat-Eating Dinosaur from China

Fossils uncovered in 2006 by a team of international researchers as they explored a remote part of Xinjiang Province have been identified as a new species of predatory Theropod dinosaur.  This new, meat-eating dinosaur discovery has been tentatively ascribed to the Coelurosauria.  Although this is the seventh Theropod and the fourth Coelurosaur discovered in strata from the Shishugou Formation, it represents the earliest fossil Coelurosaur discovered from this Formation to date.

Fossils of small dinosaurs are exceptionally rare, those specimens known from the Middle Jurassic tend to consist of isolated fragments of bone, or individual teeth.  Although far from complete, the fossil material represents an individual animal and it consists of the skull and mandible, limb bones, vertebrae, digits and elements from the pelvic girdle.  The three previously discovered Coelurosaurs from the same Chinese location (Guanlong, Haplocheirus and Zuolong) were found at higher stratigraphical layers, thus indicating that this new discovery is much older than those previously found.  It is thought that this new discovery dates from approximately 161 million years ago, (Callovian faunal stage).  This would suggest that this little carnivore roamed China during the Middle Jurassic, however, this specimen could also be referred to as Late Jurassic as the radiometric dates for the strata from which the fossil was excavated, fall within the margin of error delineating the geological boundary between the Middle and Late Jurassic.

The Skull of Aorun zhaio

The coin provides a scale.

Picture Credit: James Clark/George Washington University

The picture above shows the skull with a coin providing scale.

The new species has been named Aorun zhaio (The Dragon King of the West), from “Ao Run” taken from the Mandarin Chinese language and the Chinese epic folklore tale, “Journey to the West”.  The species name honours  Professor Zhao Xi-jin, a renowned vertebrate palaeontologist who has been prominent in helping to open up this remote part of China to scientists from outside of the country.

The field team led by James Clark (Ronald B. Weintraub Associate Professor of Biology) at the George Washington University (United States), suggest that this dinosaur was less than a metre long when it died and it probably weighed little more than fifteen hundred grammes.  A detailed analysis of the fossilised bones suggest that this dinosaur was less than twelve months old when it died.  It may not represent an example of a small Theropod, as an adult, this dinosaur could have grown up to be an apex predator, perhaps similar in size to the Chinese Allosaurid Sinraptor.

Dr. Clark and his then, doctoral student, Jonah Choiniere were able to establish that this little dinosaur was less than a year old when it died and got buried in stream sediments.  As the fossils represent a very young animal, an animal whose features would change as it grew, it is very difficult to pin down where in the phylogeny within the Coelurosauria this specimen should be placed.  A scientific paper, published in the “Journal of Systematic Palaeontology” outlines the discovery, describes the fossil material and discusses the importance of this specimen with regards to understanding the evolution and radiation of the smaller Theropods.

An Interpretation of the Fossil Material

Small, bipedal and possibly feathered.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The illustration above shows Aorun zhaio as an agile, fast-running dinosaur with a slightly elongated snout and a long tail.  As other members of the Coelurosaur clade are believed to have been feathered, in this illustration A. zhaio is depicted as a feathered dinosaur.

A spokes person from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Teeth from the upper and the lower jaw have been found.  Their shape indicates that this little dinosaur was a meat-eater, hunting smaller reptiles, insects and perhaps even primitive mammals.  Reptiles such as snakes, turtles and crocodiles today lay many eggs, but few of the hatch-lings survive to adult hood.  It is likely that this Coelurosaur was part of a large brood, but like many of its siblings it did not live very long”.

Many people consider the meat-eating dinosaurs to be all very large animals, but today the Order of Mammalia known as the Carnivora consists of a wide range of differently sized predators.  There are wolves and tigers within this Order but also weasels and small cats.  It was the same during the Mesozoic, some Theropod dinosaurs were very large, but others remained small.  Each type of  Theropod dinosaur evolved to fit a particular ecological niche.

First Trailer for New Dinosaur Movie

Scheduled for a cinematic debut this Christmas, the first trailer has been released for the eagerly awaited new dinosaur film – “Walking with Dinosaurs in 3-D”.  This beautifully crafted film takes viewers to the Late Cretaceous of North America and tells the story of a Pachyrhinosaurus and its fight for survival, it being the runt of the litter and its ultimate triumph against the odds.

The Trailer for “Walking with Dinosaur 3-D”

This film has divided the scientific community somewhat, the computer graphics are excellent and there are some lovely details shown and it will no doubt prove to be very popular with cinema audiences.  However, the anthropomorphising (giving human characteristics to animals) as led to some commentators describing this film as “Bambi meets the Land Before Time”.

Pachyrhinosauruus was a member of the Centrosaurine group of horned dinosaurs.  The presence of fenestrae in the neck frill was a surprise to us, perhaps it is an old injury that never healed properly, and the lack of feathered, shaggy looking dinosaurs in the scenes filmed during the migration could perhaps be challenged, especially as the herd of herbivores are moving into northern latitudes.

Expect lots of Tyrannosaurids, Hadrosaurs and providing the threat to the young Pachyrhinosaurs – plenty of Dromaeosaurids.  Should be a visual treat.

At Everything Dinosaur we are expecting Pachyrhinosaurus to have a surge in popularity as a result of this movie.  There are a number of excellent models available at the moment, a number of interpretations of this seven metre long plant-eater.  For example, both Collecta and Papo have introduced a Pachyrhinosaurus model, part of a great expansion in the number of Ceratopsian dinosaur models available as a number of new genera have been named and described over the last five years or so.

Pachyrhinosaurus Compared – Papo and Collecta Models

Papo and Collecta Pachyrhinosaurs are compared.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture above shows the Papo Pachyrhinosaurus model on the left compared to the Collecta model on the right.  Both these model makers have chosen to give this dinosaur a solid neck frill although the pair of fenestrae (holes in the bone but covered with skin), can be clearly seen on both replicas.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s model range: Dinosaur Models including Pachyrhinosaurus

Three species of Pachyrhinosaur are currently known, the third species to be named and described was Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum.  The fossils of this dinosaur were discovered in the far north of Alaska (dinosaurs living at high latitudes is explored in the movie), the fossils were found in 2006 and this new species named and described back in 2011.

To read an article on the discovery of P. perotorum:  Discovering a New Species of Pachyrhinosaurus

The film has been estimated to have cost somewhere around $80 million USD (£51 million GBP) to make, the original estimates were around £40 million GBP.  This is still relatively small compared to the budgets of other films, or indeed when compared to the cost of the BBC’s original Walking with Dinosaurs six part television series first aired in 1999, which for the number of minutes of actual footage shown, represents one of the most expensive projects in the BBC’s history.

A Review of the World of History (Schleich Prehistoric Animals) Carnotaurus

Dinosaur models are a bit like buses, you wait ages for a model to come along and then two arrive in quick succession.  First Papo of France introduced their Carnotaurus replica and now Schleich of Germany have added a Carnotaurus to their not-to-scale prehistoric animal model series.  The two models are very different, the Schleich figure suggests a much more robust and heavy animal with a strong set of jaws.

Named and described back in 1985 after an almost complete skeleton was excavated from Upper Cretaceous sediments located in Argentina, Carnotaurus is a very bizarre looking Theropod dinosaur.  The name Carnotaurus means “meat-eating bull”, a reference to the two horns that stick out sideways from just above the eyes.  The skull itself is very short and this dinosaur had a very blunt muzzle, with a shallow lower jaw.  Studies of skull material have suggested that this dinosaur had an acute sense of smell, Schleich have chosen to give their Carnotaurus replica prominent nostrils and a considerable overbite.  This member of the Abelisaurids had a strong neck and some large muscle attachments associated with the jaws, which seem to be at odds with the relatively weak lower jaw and the disproportionately small teeth.

The Carnotaurus Model (Schleich of Germany)

Fierce Abelisaurid from South America.

The model measures twenty-one centimetres in length, with the head held ten centimetres off the ground.  Based on an estimated size of around seven and a half metres, this model of Carnotaurus is in approximately 1:35 scale.

The arms of Carnotaurus are extremely small, much smaller in proportion to the rest of its body than the arms on a similar sized Tyrannosaurid.  These stumpy arms were relatively immobile, they could not reach the jaws and they would have been useless at grasping had helping to subdue prey.   This dinosaur had four fingers on each hand, one of which, the first digit, seems to have pointed backwards, although in this Schleich model only three fingers are represented.

To view Schleich prehistoric animal models available from Everything Dinosaur: Schleich Prehistoric Animal Models

Thanks to some excellent skin impressions from the right flank of the specimen excavated along with the other holotype material, palaeontologists have a very good idea about how Carnotaurus looked.  Its body was covered with small, pebble-like scales with lines of larger scales (scutes), forming rows running along the flanks.  The design team at Schleich have been careful to recreate their dinosaur with these features on the skin.

This replica is reminiscent of the Carnotaurus depicted in the Disney film “Dinosaur” that was released in 2000 AD.  Even the mauve colouration is very similar to that seen in Disney CGI movie although in the film these Theropods were referred to as “Carnotaurs”.

Schleich Carnotaurus Model 

The Schleich Carnotaurus – 1:35 scale approximately.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The model has oversized feet, an aid to stability, as it is often difficult to get bipedal dinosaur models to stand unassisted, but this does not detract from the stance or the pose.   This Carnotaurus is nicely crafted, although clearly aimed at younger dinosaur fans, with its slightly rubbery almost springy feel, it makes an interesting contrast to other Carnotaurus replicas introduced recently.

Fossils from Cretaceous Strata to be Found at Lyme Regis

In December 2001, the Dorset and East Devon coast (southern England), was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO.  This made this part of England’s coastline the country’s first natural World Heritage Site, ranking this part of the world alongside the likes of the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands.

Ninety-Five miles of stunning coastline from Orcombe Point at Exmouth heading east to the Old Harry Rocks, which marks a passage in the Earth’s geological history from around 250 million years ago to approximately 65 million years ago, a time known as the Mesozoic Era.  Places like Lyme Regis and Charmouth are great places to find Jurassic fossils, amazing remains of marine creatures such as ammonites, belemnites and crinoids (sea lilies).  However, with all the bad weather that the Dorset coastline has endured over the last two years or so, the beaches in the area are proving to be a happy hunting ground for some remarkable Cretaceous aged fossil specimens.

Brandon Lennon, a highly respected professional fossil collector from the Lyme  Regis area reports that with all the wet weather a lot of the Cretaceous beds from higher up the cliffs, overlying the older Jurassic aged strata have deposited younger fossil material onto the beaches surrounding Lyme Regis.  Land slips and mud slides have left large amounts of flint and chert rocks strewn about the beach.  Keen eyed fossil hunters, perhaps on an organised fossil walk with Brandon, have been able to find lots of Cretaceous aged fossils.

Some fine specimens of irregular sea urchins (Echinoids) (irregular sea urchins tend to have less circular and more oval tests), have been found including heart shaped specimens – Micraster sp.  One lucky fossil hunter (Iain) displays his sea urchin find in the picture below.

Fossils from Cretaceous Chalk Deposits Being Found at Lyme Regis

Cretaceous chalk fossils found at Lyme Regis

Picture Credit: Brandon Lennon

Fossil expert Brandon commented:

“You literally see a  lot of Cretaceous aged debris scattered all across beach.  Beaches to the west and the east of the town [Lyme Regis] have been affected.  Some fine examples of Micraster sp, are being picked up from the mid beach areas.  One lady found a beautiful shark’s tooth in near perfect condition when sieving material on the beach.”

The bad weather and the subsequent land slides have provided fossil collectors with a rare opportunity to explore these beaches for younger Cretaceous aged marine fossils, from a time when much of the land we know today as the United Kingdom was covered by a warm, tropical sea.

A Close up of the Sea Urchin

Fossil finds at Lyme Regis.

Picture Credit: Brandon Lennon

This fossil has been preserved as an internal mould in the flint, or the Lyme Bay agate,  the calcite plates of the specimen have been lost but this is a terrific and rare fossil find for this part of the world.  We at Everything Dinosaur have just one specimen of an irregular sea urchin from the Cretaceous beds of Lyme Regis, plus some trace fossils of worm casts from the same deposits but our sea urchin specimen is not as well-preserved as this fine example.

With the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival set to get under way in a few days time (May 3rd until May 5th, it looks like there will be lots of interesting fossils to study and view.    The theme for this years festival is “Our Treasures”, it looks like it is not just Jurassic aged fossils that people can find on the beaches, some lucky fossil hunters might just find themselves a lovely sea-urchin fossil too.

One word of advice, these fossils are being found on the beaches as the unstable cliffs collapse and there is still a risk of landslides.  It might be advisable to take a conducted tour of the Lyme Regis beaches with a professional fossil hunter and guide such as Brandon Lennon.

To read more about Brandon Lennon’s fossil walks: Lyme Regis Fossil Walks

April 23rd St Georges Day – Remember the Dragon

Today is April 23rd, St Georges Day, the patron saint of England and an important figure in many other countries and cultures.  April 23rd is traditionally regarded as the day that St George died in the fourth Century A.D.  He is remembered for a number of acts and deeds, perhaps most famously for slaying a dragon.  Some authorities on English folklore state that the White Horse at Uffington is a representation of the dragon that St George fought, or perhaps the figure carved out of the chalk hill is a stylised image of St. George’s horse.  Nearby Dragon Hill, a low mound with a very flattened top, has been suggested as the location of the fight between St. George and his foe.  Part of Dragon Hill, is very bare and has little grass, the very thin soil does not allow a lot of grass growth, however, some observers believe that this is the spot where the dragon was killed and its blood left a bare patch on the ground where even today no plants will grow.

Whatever the legend, the concept of a fearsome dragon has helped inspire the naming of a number of prehistoric animals including dinosaurs.  For example, the Early Cretaceous Tyrannosaur from China known as Dilong (Dilong paradoxus) means “Emperor Dragon”.  The crow-sized Troodontid known as Mei long, whose fossils were formerly named and described in 2004 means “sleeping dragon”.

Perhaps one of the more unusual dinosaur names is that of the “Dragon King of Hogwarts” – Dracorex hogwartsia.  The species name Dracorex hogwartsia honours the author J. K. Rowling, the writer of the Harry Potter series.  The scientists thought that the skull of this dinosaur resembled the skull of a dragon and with its strange lumps and bumps it looked quite magical.  This coupled with the reaction of young visitors to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, where the skull was first put on display, convinced the scientists to name this dinosaur after dragons and the fictional school – Hogwarts the school in the Harry Potter series of novels.

“Dragon King of Hogwarts School”

Fearsome looking Dragon from Hogwarts.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

With dragons being very prominent in folklore from both the oriental and occidental worlds it is very likely that more dinosaurs will named after “Dragons”.

A Review of the T. rex Glow in the Dark Skeleton Wall Sticker

Tyrannosaurus rex, the Late Cretaceous dinosaur famed with its huge teeth and powerful jaws is very popular with young dinosaur fans, both boys and girls and here is a half metre long glow in the dark wall sticker to help make any child’s bedroom their very own Jurassic Park.

It can often be quite tricky trying to create a child’s bedroom with a dinosaur theme.  Posters and such like certainly help but when it is bedtime the wall posters cannot be seen any more, but this Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton can as it glows in the dark.  Once exposed to a light source for a few minutes the plastic pieces that make up this wall display item are able to glow with an inflorescence and quite a striking image this little kit makes too.

The Tyrannosaurus rex Glow in the Dark Dinosaur Sticker Kit

A glow in the Dark T. rex wall poster

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The pieces are easy to put together, the handy picture on the front of the pack that this kit is supplied in shows the glow in the dark skeleton assembled.  It  provides all the guidance that is required and it only takes a few minutes to construct the Tyrannosaurus rex.  Then it is just a question of deciding where to display it.  Most young dinosaur fans (recommended age is three years plus), would be delighted with this glow in the dark kit, but just to make sure that your young palaeontologists does not get too frightened, it might be a good idea to leave the pieces out on the floor for the first night, so that the child can get used to the glow in the dark dinosaur effect.   To further ease any initial worries about a scary dinosaur in their bedroom at night, get the child to help put together the skeleton and to assist in deciding where in the bedroom this wall sticker is to be put up.

This dinosaur skeleton kit is certainly big, when put together it measures more than fifty centimetres in height, so a considerable amount of wall space is required to show it off.  We found the darker the wall, the better the kit appeared to look.

The kit can be easily taken off the wall and re-positioned if required.  One tip that we found particularly useful was to glue the skeleton onto a piece of black material, sticking it to a large, square section of cardboard that had been painted black worked equally well.  Then it was simply a question of pinning up the material or hanging the cardboard backing on the wall.  The dark background effect that this creates really shows off the glow in the dark properties of the plastic pieces.

Mounted on a Dark Background to Maximise the Glow in the Dark Effect

Over half a metre high.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Even a few minutes exposure to natural light seemed to charge up the skeleton so that it glowed quite effectively once the bedroom light was turned off.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of dinosaur themed bedroom items: Ideas to Theme a Child’s Bedroom with Dinosaurs

This is an inexpensive and cleverly designed glow in the dark  T. rex  kit.  Admittedly, the skeleton may not be all that anatomically correct but it is accurate enough with the large skull and big teeth to make young dinosaur fans look forward to bedtime.

Dinosaurs at Bedtime – Glowing T. rex Skeleton

Night time with Dinosaurs.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Pupils Study Dinosaurs at School

For children at a local school, this spring term has had them focusing on all things Dinosauria as studying dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals was their term topic.  Given the weather we have had in March, it might have been more appropriate to have studied the Ice Age, but at least the school children did manage to get their hands on a Woolly Mammoth tooth during a visit from one of the Everything Dinosaur team members.

The shape of fossil teeth can help scientists to understand a little more about what extinct creatures might have eaten and the eager young palaeontologists were keen to demonstrate their knowledge of herbivores and carnivores.  During a break in the teaching activities, our team member was given a quick tour of the school’s very own dinosaur land.  The wildlife area at the back of the playground had been converted into a “Jurassic Park” with brightly coloured dinosaur cut-outs adorning  this fenced in area.  There was a Diplodocus, (a herbivorous dinosaur), as we were informed by one enthusiastic pupil and propped up against the fence there was a meat-eating dinosaur plus a very fierce looking Triceratops complete with horns and sharp teeth.

 The School Triceratops

Colourful school Triceratops.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The pupils got the chance to examine some Triceratops teeth (T. horridus) and to compare them to the teeth of other dinosaurs who ate different types of food.  Imagining a dinosaur with a tongue about as tall as you are, is quite helpful when it comes to Key Stage 1 school children working out where in a food web might a Triceratops be placed.

Alongside the Triceratops, was another plant-eating dinosaur which the children were delighted to show off.  It was a Stegosaurus, complete with very striking orange plates running along its back.

The Stegosaurus Cut-Out Dinosaur

A very brightly coloured Stegosaurus.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Perched high in a nearby tree, keeping a close eye on the proceedings was a large Pterosaur (flying reptile).  The red crest and neck of this toothless Pterosaur made the cut-out stand out against the branches.  It is very likely that Pterosaurs had excellent colour vision, perhaps this was a flying reptile depicted in its mating regalia ready to display to any passing female Pteranodons should any fly by.

The Pterosaur (Pteranodon longiceps)?

A Pterosaur with its colourful neck and head crest.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

It seems that for the duration of the spring term, this part of the school playground has been turned into the children’s own dinosaur theme park.  Such an imaginative use of odd cuts of wood and spare paint, that was greatly appreciated by the children.  We explored what we do and what we don’t know about the colour of extinct creatures during our morning visit and the school children were very eager to display their knowledge and to talk about the dinosaur themed activities that they had been doing.

It seems that this spring term topic has been a big success, the enthusiastic teaching team using the dinosaurs theme to help develop the children’s numeracy, literacy and artistic skills.  Look out Steven Spielberg, you may have some challengers when it comes to designing the prehistoric animals that are going to feature in next year’s “Jurassic Park IV”!