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

Everything Dinosaur’s work with schools and other educational bodies. Articles, features and stories about dinosaurs and their role in education and educating young people.

10 11, 2022

Passionate about Dinosaurs and Dinosaur Models

By |2024-03-09T16:08:31+00:00November 10th, 2022|Adobe CS5, Educational Activities, Everything Dinosaur videos, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products, Press Releases|0 Comments

Everything Dinosaur are passionate about dinosaurs and prehistoric animal models. The award-winning, UK-based company exports to over a hundred countries and recently they were interviewed about their export success as part of a project to help inspire others to follow their dreams.

Passionate about dinosaurs - Everything Dinosaur sucessful exporters.
Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub wanted to highlight local businesses that could help to inspire other companies to export their goods and services. Everything Dinosaur team members were interviewed, and a short video produced. The aim of this project is to help and inspire others to export. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Everything Dinosaur Helping to Inspire Others

Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub wanted to help support the drive for exports during International Trade Week and contacted Everything Dinosaur to see if team members were willing to be interviewed about how they sell dinosaur and prehistoric animal models to customers based overseas. Lauren and Emily from Prickly Peach Films were despatched, and they made a short video about Everything Dinosaur’s export success.

Everything Dinosaur video.
Lauren and Emily from Prickly Peach Films with a representative of the DIT preparing to shoot a video at Everything Dinosaur’s warehouse. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

The aim of this video, one of a series of promotional activities organised by the Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Trade (DIT), is to help encourage other companies to open businesses and to export their goods and services.

Passionate About Dinosaurs

Sue of Everything Dinosaur was reluctant to be interviewed but she helped with the shooting of the B-roll as she was filmed and photographed preparing and packing an order for a customer. Mike was given the task of answering the questions posed by the interviewer and hopefully the video will help to inspire others to pursue their passions and develop sales overseas.

The Everything Dinosaur Exporting Case Study

Everything Dinosaur Exporting Case Study – Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub

Mike and Sue hope their short video helps to inspire other companies to explore export markets. Perhaps it might even encourage young people just beginning their careers to start their own business dealing with something that they too care about passionately in the same way that Mike and Sue are passionate about dinosaurs.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

28 10, 2022

Terrific Dinosaur Books for Christmas

By |2023-12-12T08:43:45+00:00October 28th, 2022|Book Reviews, Dinosaur Fans, Educational Activities, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

At this time of year, as we approach the run up to the festive season, team members at Everything Dinosaur receive emails asking for book recommendations, here is a trio of ideal dinosaur books for Christmas.

All three books have been written by Dr Dean Lomax. Dr Lomax is an English vertebrate palaeontologist and science communicator, a world authority on ichthyosaurs and their close relatives.

Three books written by Dr Dean Lomax.
Dean has recently completed three books – “Locked in Time” (left) which is illustrated by Bob Nicholls. “Prehistoric Pets” (centre) and (right) “Dinosaurs 10 Things You Should Know”. All three books make ideal gifts for the festive season. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

“Locked in Time”

Fossils have provided scientists with a unique insight into life in the past. The book “Locked in Time – Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils” takes the reader on a journal through deep geological time and highlights fifty of the most incredible fossil discoveries ever made. Illustrated by Bob Nicholls, fossils discussed include brooding dinosaurs, prehistoric fish entombed in giant clams, predator death traps and Jurassic crocodilians with broken jaws.

Read Everything Dinosaur’s review of “Locked in Time” here: “Locked in Time” Reviewed.

Published by Columbia University Press, this highly recommend book is priced at around £25.00.

Find “Locked in Time” here (search on the website for author Dean Lomax): Columbia University Press.

Fighting Columbian mammoths
One of the dramatic illustrations from the book “Locked in Time”. A pair of Columbian mammoths (Mammuthus columbi) that died together when their tusks became locked together during combat. Picture Credit: Bob Nicholls.

“Prehistoric Pets”

“Prehistoric Pets” is aimed at the younger reader. It links animals alive today with their prehistoric ancestors. Favourite pets had prehistoric animal ancestors and Dr Lomax provides fun facts on fish and their 500-million-year evolutionary history, demonstrates that budgerigars are dinosaurs and that guinea pigs are distantly related to a rodent the size of a horse!

To read Everything Dinosaur’s review of “Prehistoric Pets”: “Prehistoric Pets” Reviewed by Everything Dinosaur.

The front cover of "Prehistoric Pets".
This colourful and well-written book takes the reader on a journey back in time, linking common household pets today with their prehistoric ancestors. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur/Templar Books.

Published by Templar Books and available as a hardcopy format, this eye-catching and humorous book makes an ideal Christmas gift for young readers.

“Prehistoric Pets” by Dr Dean Lomax and illustrated by Mike Love can be purchased here: Waterstones Book Store.

Search for author Dean Lomax to discover the books.

“Dinosaurs Ten Things You Should Know”

Dr Lomax builds on his extensive experience as a science communicator and presents ten bite-sized essays that brings the Dinosauria to life in the 128-page “Dinosaurs Ten Things You Should Know”. He tackles big ideas about the dinosaurs, their evolution, their diversity, how they behaved and their ultimate demise.

Published by the Orion Publishing Group, “Dinosaurs Ten Things You Should Know” can be found here (just search for author Dean Lomax): Orion Publishing Group.

24 10, 2022

Dinosaur Toys Encourage Creative and Imaginative Play in Children

By |2024-03-09T17:00:53+00:00October 24th, 2022|Adobe CS5, Early Years Foundation Reception, Educational Activities, Main Page, Press Releases, Teaching|0 Comments

Academics have defined different types of play activity that children indulge in and concluded that dinosaur toys encourage play. Creative, imaginative play is very important for a child’s development and there are lots of dinosaur and prehistoric animal models available from Everything Dinosaur to keep even the most discerning young dinosaur fan happy.

Dinosaur toys encourage play.
Children playing with dinosaur and prehistoric animal models. Picture credit: Schleich.

Picture credit: Schleich

Defining Different Types of Play

Scientists such as psychologists and paediatricians have defined six types of basic play activity namely:

  • Independent Play – playing on their own, using imagination.
  • Co-operative Play – playing with others, learning to share and to play together.
  • Motor skills – hand and eye co-ordination.
  • Visual Development – learning to focus, to develop observational skills such as being able to track moving objects.
  • Linguistic skills – learning language skills and developing a vocabulary.
  • Mathematical skills – learning with numbers, developing confidence with mathematics.

Children engaging in play whether on their own or with others helps them to develop important life skills.

Dinosaur Toys Encourage Play

A spokesperson from the UK-based Everything Dinosaur commented that they were aware that many Reception classes start their autumn term with a topic focused on dinosaurs. This term topic helps to encourage the children to take part in more cognitive based learning activities as they move away from free play.

A Reception class dinosaur themed creative play area.
A creative play area with a dinosaur theme in the Reception class. Children playing with dinosaurs helps them develop important life skills. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

We wish all the teaching teams every success with this autumn’s term topics.

Everything Dinosaur stocks a massive range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal themed toys and games, all of which have been tested and approved by team members.

To view the range of dinosaur toys, models and creative play craft items: Prehistoric Animal Toys and Gifts.

18 10, 2022

A Funny and Clever Dinosaur Poem

By |2024-03-09T17:03:08+00:00October 18th, 2022|Adobe CS5, Educational Activities, Main Page, Photos/Schools, Teaching|0 Comments

Whilst sorting through the company’s extensive teaching database a picture of a dinosaur poem spotted during a school visit was found. During a routine tidy up of the images associated with Everything Dinosaur’s work in school, a poem about a Triceratops written by a young schoolgirl called Grace was discovered.

A Dinosaur Poem.  Developing Language and Communication Skills
“Three horned Face” has a poem written about it. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Helping to Gain Confidence with Writing

Dinosaurs and prehistoric animals provide a rewarding and satisfying term topic for many teachers of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils. The children approach the topic with enthusiasm and demonstrate lots of knowledge. The term topic lends itself to extensive activities related to English, maths and artwork as well as science. A dinosaur term topic can help children develop confidence with numeracy and literacy.

Team members at Everything Dinosaur have become quite creative in their support for teachers and teaching assistants. For example, fossil shark teeth have been used to make unusual “greater than” and “less than” symbols to help young children gain more confidence when using numbers.

Fossil shark teeth used to help demonstrate symbols in maths.
Fossils used to make mathematical symbols for use in schools. Greater than and less than thanks to Otodus megalodon. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Dinosaur Poem

Team members have come across many instances of dinosaurs inspiring young poets to write prose. Many of the children’s poems have been posted up on the walls of the classroom and they make bright and colourful displays.

Dinosaur poems
Prehistoric Animal Poems. Helping children to gain confidence with writing and literacy. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson for the UK-based, dinosaur company commented that over the years of delivering dinosaur themed workshops and supporting teachers, team members had come across some amazing examples of prehistoric animal themed poems.

Whether limericks, free verse or even Japanese inspired poetry forms such as haiku, Everything Dinosaur team members have always tried to encourage and inspire children.

To view the extensive range of prehistoric animal models and toys, all approved by the company’s teaching team, visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Visit Everything Dinosaur’s Website.

11 10, 2022

Fossils and Rocks with Year 3

By |2022-10-16T17:16:09+01:00October 11th, 2022|Educational Activities, General Teaching, Key Stage 1/2, Main Page, Photos/Schools, Teaching|0 Comments

Whilst examining some old files on the Everything Dinosaur database, team members came across a picture of a wonderful dinosaur themed wall display at Pebble Brook Primary, when Everything Dinosaur visited to conduct a workshop all about dinosaurs, fossils and rocks.

The children had been studying soils, rocks and fossils as part of their work during the autumn term and to start the topic with an event, a team member was invited to the school to lead a series of dinosaur and fossil themed workshops for the day.

During a pause in the busy schedule, a photograph of a very colourful wall display created by the children was taken.

A Delightful and Colourful Dinosaur Wall Display

Fossils and rocks studied by Year 3 pupils.
Year 3 children learn about dinosaurs, fossils, rocks and volcanoes in a term topic entitled “Dinosaurs Yabba Dabba Doo”! Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur/Pebble Brook Primary.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur/Pebble Brook Primary

Exploring Fossils and Rocks

The children investigated how fossils form, how they feel and what they can tell us about animals that lived in the past and extinction. For the science element of the term topic, the class have been examining numerous types of rock, exploring the school grounds and the buildings to identify different types of stone and rock.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We remember visiting the school on a couple of occasions to work with different classes and enrich their curriculum. The classrooms were full of colourful artwork and delightful wall displays. We all had a great time”

Everything Dinosaur stocks a wide range of prehistoric animal themed crafts and art materials as well as replicas of dinosaurs and famous animals such as trilobites, belemnites and ammonites from the fossil record. All the items that the UK-based mail order company stocks have been tested and approved by the company’s teaching team.

To view the range of products available, visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Dinosaur Crafts for Kids.

7 10, 2022

A Fantastic Dilophosaurus Drawing by George

By |2024-03-19T16:47:05+00:00October 7th, 2022|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Educational Activities, Main Page|0 Comments

Earlier this week a young fan of dinosaurs came to visit us, we challenged our visitor to send us an illustration of their favourite dinosaur and we have received a Dilophosaurus drawing by George.

What a dramatic and imaginative illustration of this Early Jurassic, carnivorous dinosaur.

Dilophosaurus illustrated. A Dilophosaurus drawing by George
A very colourful and dramatic illustration of one of George’s favourite dinosaurs. A Dilophosaurus drawing influenced by the “Jurassic Park/Jurassic World” franchise. Picture credit: George.

Dilophosaurus Dinosaur Drawing

George is nine (nearly ten) and he is obsessed with dinosaurs. His favourite film is “Jurassic Park” and Audra and Richard, the grown-ups who came along with George for a tour of our warehouse, explained that George watches the “Jurassic Park/Jurassic World” movies over and over again. The Dilophosaurus drawing that George kindly provided is heavily influenced by the depiction of Dilophosaurus as a “frilled dinosaur that spits venom” from the film franchise.

George’s Dilophosaurus is very brightly coloured and the dinosaur has been given a spiked tail, sharp claws and spikes on the posterior portion of its hind legs. It looks a very formidable and dangerous dinosaur!

He is not alone in being influenced by the cinema recreations of dinosaurs. Back in 2021, team members at Everything Dinosaur were involved in product testing and certification of a frilled Dilophosaurus display piece created by our chums at ITOY Studio.

We think George’s drawing is equally dramatic and impressive.

ITOY Studio Dilophosaurus dinosaur model (2021)
A view of the superb crest on the new for 2021 ITOY Studio Dilophosaurus dinosaur model.

To read a blog post on the frilled Dilophosaurus model and our short YouTube video about this replica: ITOY Studio Dilophosaurus Testing and Model Video Review.

Dilophosaurus Drawing by George

George is a big fan of the CollectA model range and spoke at length about some of his favourite models. He likes Ceratosaurus and was fascinated to hear that when this dinosaur was first discovered the fossils of the tail (caudal vertebrae) reminded scientists of the tail of a crocodile. This led them to conclude that Ceratosaurus was aquatic.

Audra and Richard commented that they would have liked to visit Lyme Regis with George so that he could go fossil hunting. Fortunately, we happened to have some ammonite and belemnite fossils from the “Jurassic Coast” of Dorset which we were happy to give to George. He was also delighted to receive some crocodile osteoderms and some small pieces of dinosaur bone to take home.

Thank you George for your wonderful dinosaur drawing.

Our thanks to mum Kay, for giving us permission to post up George’s artwork.

26 07, 2022

Remembering School Workshops in Blackpool

By |2022-10-19T13:44:25+01:00July 26th, 2022|Adobe CS5, Educational Activities, General Teaching, Key Stage 1/2, Main Page, Photos/Schools, Press Releases|0 Comments

Whilst reviewing some old files in the Everything Dinosaur offices as part of our compliance with GDPR regulations, team members came across some feedback from teachers after we had delivered as series of prehistoric animal themed workshops at Unity Academy in Lancashire.

Everything Dinosaur had been invited to participate in the “Blackpool Celebrating Science Conference”. This event, which took place back in 2015 is well remembered by our staff. We prepared and delivered two workshops around the theme of “A Jurassic World”. We received excellent feedback from the teachers that observed our workshops.

One teacher commented:

“Fabulous! Very interesting! Children really engaged and focused. Thoroughly, enjoyed it – thank you.”

Feedback from Blackpool
Five stars for Everything Dinosaur. Excellent feedback received by Everything Dinosaur after workshops supporting the “Blackpool Celebrating Science Conference”.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A second teacher, who attended one of our workshops with her Key Stage 2 pupils added:

“Very informative and entertaining”

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated that team members were delighted to have received the feedback and it was a pleasure working with all the enthusiastic and highly motivated children.

To view the range of educational prehistoric animal toys and gifts available from Everything Dinosaur’s user-friendly and award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

11 07, 2022

Everything Dinosaur Helping to Fund Science

By |2022-10-20T12:40:56+01:00July 11th, 2022|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Educational Activities, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

On July 7th (2022), a new scientific paper providing a review of the Early Cretaceous Eotyrannus lengi was published. Everything Dinosaur helped to fund the publication of this research. The authors, Dr Darren Naish (School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Southampton) and Andrea Cau (Parma, Italy) concluded that E. lengi was a valid tyrannosauroid taxon from the Barremian Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight.

In order to make a new study into the dinosaur Eotyrannus open access, so that everyone could view this research, the authors set up a GoFundMe campaign. Everything Dinosaur helped to fund this study. We are happy to support this excellent paper and we are helping to make such studies possible. Your purchases from Everything Dinosaur genuinely help science.

Everything Dinosaur helping to fund research.
Team members at Everything Dinosaur were happy to assist with funding a newly published paper on the early tyrannosauroid Eotyrannus lengi.

The publication costs of this manuscript were supported by a successful gofundme campaign (July 2018). The fund target was reached in less than 24-hours and Everything Dinosaur was happy to make a substantial contribution to ensure that this research could be published allowing free access.

Our congratulations to all the other funders, who helped make this possible.

We hope to produce an article on this excellent scientific paper in the very near future, after all, it sheds light on an amazing dinosaur dominated ecosystem. The researchers conclude that Eotyrannus was a mid-size predator with much larger megalosauroid or allosauroid apex predators present. There were certainly many different types of theropod in the environment including carcharodontosaurian allosauroids, baryonychine spinosaurids as well as probable compsognathids and members of the Maniraptora.

To read a recent Everything Dinosaur article about two, newly described spinosaurids from the Isle of Wight: Two New Spinosaurids from the Isle of Wight.

Two new Isle of Wight spinosaurs
Two new species of spinosaurids described from the Isle of Wight Ceratosuchops inferodios (foreground) challenges a Riparovenator milnerae (background) over the carcase of an iguanodont. Picture credit: Anthony Hutchings

To read a related article about the discovery of an even bigger spinosaurid on the island: Super-sized Carnivorous Dinosaur from the Isle of Wight.

Customers purchasing dinosaur models and dinosaur toys from Everything Dinosaur are helping to support research.

To visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

The scientific paper: “The osteology and affinities of Eotyrannus lengi, a tyrannosauroid theropod from the Wealden Supergroup of southern England” by Darren Naish and Andrea Cau published in PeerJ.

21 05, 2022

Mary Anning Statue Unveiled at Lyme Regis

By |2022-10-23T16:01:40+01:00May 21st, 2022|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Educational Activities, Famous Figures, Main Page, Photos|1 Comment

A statue commemorating the life and work of the pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning has been unveiled in her hometown of Lyme Regis. Mary Anning (1799 – 1847), made some remarkable fossil discoveries along Dorset’s “Jurassic Coast”, although during her lifetime, her contribution to the nascent sciences of geology and palaeontology was not fully recognised.

The statue, created by artist and sculptress Denise Dutton, is placed on the seafront close to the sea defences, permitting Mary a view of Lyme Bay and the cliffs and shoreline that she explored with her brother Joseph as a child. During her lifetime she made several highly significant fossil discoveries in the Lower Jurassic marine beds, including the first ichthyosaur specimens to be scientifically studied, plesiosaurs and the first pterosaur fossil to be found outside Germany.

The unveiling of the Mary Anning statue at Lyme Regis (Dorset)
The statue commemorating the life and work of Mary Anning is unveiled. Picture credit: Mary Anning Rocks

Mary Anning Rocks

Young Evie Swire was the inspiration behind the charity Mary Anning Rocks, when she enquired on returning from a fossil hunting trip at Lyme Regis “why isn’t there a statue to Mary?” A fund-raising campaign was organised and on what would have been Mary’s 223rd birthday, Evie, now a teenager and her fellow campaigners unveiled the beautiful statue commemorating a key figure in the history of the Earth Sciences.

Mary Anning statue unveiled at Lyme Regis
Crowds flocked to see the new statue of Mary Anning unveiled, some people even dressed up like Mary. Picture credit: Mary Anning Rocks.

Supporting and Celebrating the Role of Women in the Sciences

Everything Dinosaur was one of the first organisations from outside Lyme Regis to back the campaign and to help raise awareness. Since the charity’s inception, Everything Dinosaur has helped to promote and support the fundraising.

Mary Anning’s discoveries in the 19th Century helped shape scientific understanding of prehistoric life, but her work was never properly credited due to the fact that she was a woman and because of her lowly social status. A large crowd turned out for the unveiling, and team members at Everything Dinosaur are looking forward to one day soon returning to Lyme Regis and paying our respects to Mary Anning and her statue.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We did so want to be there at the unveiling. The statue of Mary is not only a tribute to her, but it also helps to raise awareness of and celebrate the role of women in the sciences.”

Mary Anning Statue Unveiled
A close view of the statue of Mary Anning which was created by leading artist and sculptress Denise Dutton. Mary is holding an ammonite fossil in her left hand. Picture credit: Mary Anning Rocks.

Anya Pearson one of the hard-working trustees of the Mary Anning Rocks charity exclaimed:

“It was a monumental day for a monumental Woman – At last!!!”

Our congratulations to all those people who have worked so hard to ensure that Mary Anning can be honoured in this way.

21 05, 2022

The “Prehistoric Secret Science Show” at Wollaton Hall (Nottingham)

By |2023-02-08T08:23:33+00:00May 21st, 2022|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Educational Activities, General Teaching, Main Page, Teaching|0 Comments

Those enthusiastic scientists and educationalists at Wollaton Hall (Nottingham), are hosting an exclusive “Prehistoric Secret Science Show” on Tuesday 24th May, 2022 (4.30pm to 8.45pm). It will feature a veritable cornucopia of talks, presentations and workshops plus the chance to meet professionals engaged in current scientific research on Tyrannosaurus rex!

Prehistoric Secret Science Show at Wollaton Hall (Nottingham).
Led by the Nottingham City Museum’s Learning and Education team, the evening event (Prehistoric Secret Science Show), will showcase a range of speakers from the University of Nottingham, the University of Birmingham, Rutland Water Nature Reserve, as well as Nottingham City Museum’s Curator of Natural Sciences, Dr Adam Smith.

An Exclusive Event

Organised by those dedicated and talented members of Nottingham City Museum’s Learning and Education team, this evening event “Prehistoric Secret Science Show”, will showcase a range of speakers from the University of Birmingham, Rutland Water Nature Reserve and the University of Nottingham. Palaeontologist Dr Adam Smith (Nottingham Museum’s Curator of Natural Sciences), a world authority on Mesozoic marine reptiles will also be presenting.

More details about this exciting event can be found here: Wollaton Hall “Prehistoric Secret Science Show”.

Titus T. rex is King in secret science show.
Those enthusiastic scientists at Wollaton Hall (Nottingham) are hosting an exclusive “Prehistoric Secret Science Show” which will feature a tour of the “Titus” T. rex is King exhibition as well as chance to meet some of the scientists currently studying this iconic dinosaur.

Natural Science and Dinosaurs

This exclusive event is ideal for anyone interested in prehistoric life, palaeontology, Natural Science and dinosaurs, it has been especially designed for children at upper primary or secondary school, college, university and adults. It looks set to be an interesting evening that covers a wide range of topics, plus gives everyone the opportunity to meet “Titus” the Tyrannosaurus rex exhibit too!

Wollaton Hall secret science show (May 2022).
Meet scientists including leading palaeontologists at the “Prehistoric Secret Science Show” being held at the “Titus” T. rex is King exhibition at Wollaton Hall.

Event Details

Date: Tuesday 24th May (2022)

Location: Wollaton Hall (Nottingham)

Entry: 4.30pm

Event ends: 8.45pm

Ticket Prices – Adult: £15 Ticket Prices – Child £10

Schools and other large groups have one free adult per ten children with additional adults at the usual £15. Contact the event organisers for more information.

Event is open to all ages, including children at secondary school, college, university and adults. It is aimed especially for children over ten years old, although anyone with a keen interest in dinosaurs would be welcome.

Free entry for carers when accompanying a paid ticket. Please note car parking charges apply.

Further details can be found here: Wollaton Hall “Prehistoric Secret Science Show”.

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