All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.
8 02, 2009

Dinosaurs and the Water Cycle

By |2023-03-02T09:53:42+00:00February 8th, 2009|Main Page, Teaching|0 Comments

Dinosaurs and the Water Cycle

What is it with the English and their weather?  The UK is essentially a “maritime climate”, this is what comes from being a small island at one side of the Atlantic ocean with a large continent (Europe) adjacent to us.  We do seem to get some very peculiar weather and June was no exception.  With the cricket season in full swing and Wimbledon tennis underway, last month proved to be one of the wettest on record, July has not started too well either.  Many parts of the UK have suffered from flash floods.  South Yorkshire seems to have been hit the worst with many villages and towns still underwater.

Dinosaurs and the Water Cycle

With all this rain everywhere, you might think that planet Earth has suddenly started to produce more water, but this is not the case.  The amount of water we have on this planet is just about fixed, water may change its state but this planet only has a finite amount.  If you pour yourself a glass of water and sit it on the table in front of you, that water in your glass could have been part of an ocean a little over a week ago.  It may have fallen as rain, just a couple of days before it found its way into your glass, but the water itself is virtually as old as the planet.

The same water that you see before you could have made up part of a shallow rock pool that stranded trilobites in the Ordovician 500 mya.  It may have formed part of a thunderstorm that caused a herd of plateosaurs to stampede in the Late Triassic, it might even have been drunk by a Tyrannosaurus rex.

The water we have gets recycled, this is what we call the “Water Cycle”, water is evaporated (or transpirated by plants as they lose water) and forms water vapour.  The water vapour in the air gets cold and forms clouds – this is called condensation.  You can see condensation on windows in the morning when the water vapour hits the cold window glass and turns back into liquid.

The clouds become saturated with water, so that they cannot hold any more and the water falls out back down to earth as rain, sleet, hail of snow.  The water may fall into or run off into oceans, lakes or rivers or get absorbed by the land into the “groundwater”, to be drunk by plants and trees or it will eventually under several natural processes, mainly gravity, find its way back to the sea – and the process starts all over again.

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

7 02, 2009

Titanoboa – Huge Snake of the Palaeocene Epoch

By |2023-03-02T09:58:09+00:00February 7th, 2009|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

Fossil Skeleton of 45-foot long Snake Discovered in South America

With the mass extinction event that marked the end of the Mesozoic, those animals that remained, rapidly diversified and took up most of the ecosystem niches left vacant by the demise of the dinosaurs.  Mammals rapidly evolved and diversified and soon all the Orders that we know today were established.  However, those reptiles that had outlasted the dinosaurs also took the opportunity to exploit new environments and those places in the food chain left empty by the dinosaurs.

Fossils of one of the largest snakes known to science have just been unearthed in South America, and this new snake named Titanoboa would have probably been the apex predator in its jungle environment.

Titanoboa

The Palaeocene epoch lasted approximately 10 million years (65-55 million years ago).  The world slowly recovered from the catastrophes that had led to the extinction of approximately 60% of the life on Earth.  Within a few hundred thousand years of the end of the Mesozoic, planet Earth was covered in lush rain-forest, jungle and swamps.  Global temperatures rose to an average of 28 degrees Celsius and humidity increased permitting gigantism in creatures as diverse as insects, birds and reptiles.

“Hot House Earth”

Our planet had not experienced such a “hot house” environment since the Jurassic and those types of animals that had survived the extinction event soon found themselves in a lush, warm, humid environment, so warm in fact that tropical rain-forest and jungle stretched from the tips of Chile and South Africa right up to beyond the Canadian border.

European countries such as Germany and Poland had similar climates as did much of China in the east.  Even the United Kingdom was covered in tropical rain-forest (hard to believe considering the icy conditions that we have had this week).

With cold-blooded animals such as snakes, the temperature and availability of food can affect the potential size of a species. With such a warm climate, the absence of major predators such as the Theropod dinosaurs, snakes were able to exploit the conditions and truly huge forms began to evolve.

A New Genus of Snake

The fossils of this new genus of snake, believed to be a constrictor like a boa or the giant Anaconda of South America, were found at an open cast mine in north-eastern Columbia.  Along with the giant bones of the snake, fossils of crocodiles and turtles were also discovered, perhaps these other reptiles made up a large part of this Titanoboa’s diet.

An Artist’s Impression of Titanoboa

Picture credit: Jason Bourque

Estimating the Size of Titanoboa

Estimating the size of the snake based on comparisons with extant species indicates a length of 15 metres with a weight in excess of 1,200 kilogrammes.  Fossils of large snakes have been discovered in South America before.  An example would be Madtsoia bai, a huge constrictor known from fossils discovered in Argentina in the mid 1930s.  This particular species was believed to be up to 12 metres long, huge by modern snake standards but still 20% smaller than Titanoboa.

Commenting on the new discovery, Jack Conrad a snake expert at the American Museum of Natural History in New York stated:

This thing [Titanoboa] weighs more than a bison and is longer than a city bus.  It could easily eat something the size of a cow.  A human would just be toast immediately”.

The details of this discovery is published in this week’s edition of the scientific journal “Nature”.

Titanoboa cerrejonensis

The species has been formally named Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the name means “titan boa from the Cerrejon”, the region of Columbia where the snake fossils were found.  Although, probably more closely related to boas such as the Royal Python, this snake probably behaved more like an Anaconda, being at home equally well in water and on land.

The Boas (family Boidae), are considered to be relatively primitive in comparison with venomous snakes that make up the order Squamata such as vipers.  Scientists believe that snakes such as Boas evolved from lizards during the Late Cretaceous and snakes were constrictors at first, then eventually venomous forms evolved.

Boas retain several features that link them to their lizard ancestors.  For example, most species of boa retain a pelvic girdle and traces of the hind-limbs are found in a number of species.  The vestigial hind-limbs have been reduced to cloacal spurs in many types of boa, these can be seen on males.  Members of the Boidae family also retain the coronoid bone in the lower jaw, another link to their lizard ancestry that has been lost in higher snakes.

Titanoboa can make a claim for being the largest snake known to science.  When its fossilised bones are compared to those of a 6 metre Anaconda the true scale of this beast is revealed.

Comparison of Fossilised Titanoboa Vertebra with Extant Anaconda

Picture credit: Nature

Huge Fossil Vertebra

The huge fossil vertebra of Titanoboa dwarfs the vertebra of a modern Anaconda.  When alive Titanoboa would have been about as thick as an oil drum, making it a fearsome predator.

The beast was revealed in early 2007 at the University of Florida’s Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.  Fossils collected at a huge open-pit coal mine in Colombia were being unpacked by graduate students and they realised that they were unwrapping the fossilised bones of something spectacular.  To date the scientists have identified about 180 different bones, mainly vertebrae and costae (rib bones).  These remains are believed to represent about a dozen individuals.

It seems that gigantic, fearsome reptiles did not disappear from our planet with the extinction of the dinosaurs.  Some types of reptile exploited the Palaeocene environment to evolve into new types of nightmarish creature.

Rebor Replicas

The model manufacturer Rebor has made several replicas of Titanoboa.  To view the figures (whilst stocks last): Rebor Replicas and Models.

6 02, 2009

Everything Dinosaur Introduces more Carnegie Collection Models

By |2023-02-28T15:11:58+00:00February 6th, 2009|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

Everything Dinosaur Introduces more Carnegie Collection Scale Models

Everything Dinosaur is adding to its existing range of prehistoric animal models by offering more of the Carnegie Museum scale models.  The Carnegie Collection is one of the world’s best known line of prehistoric animal models. This extensive collection is manufactured by the American company Safari Limited. A model range that includes a range of models normally in the 1:20 or 1:40 scale model range.

Carnegie Museum Scale Models

Each model is hand-painted, phthalate free and is a highly detailed replica of a prehistoric animal.  Every model comes with its own educational hang tag and these particular models are suitable for children aged 3+.

The Dimetrodon Model from the Carnegie Collection

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

As well as dinosaurs the range also includes a number of models of animals that were not dinosaurs, but reptiles, such as the pelycosaur Dimetrodon (pictured above).  Whether a dinosaur or not, all the models are skilfully created and carry the name of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, one of the most important natural history museums in the world.

To view the Dimetrodon model, dinosaurs and other prehistoric animal replicas and figures: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

For dinosaur models and dinosaur toys, the Carnegie Collection is a must for serious model collectors and for young dinosaur fans.  It is great to see such a diverse range of animals represented and they are robust and tough, just what is required for creative play.

The Carnegie Collection Acrocanthosaurus Dinosaur Model

Carnegie Museum Scale Models. Acrocanthosaurus dinosaur model.

The rare and long ago retired Safari Ltd Carnegie Collection Acrocanthosaurus dinosaur model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Wild Safari Prehistoric World Figures

To view the range of prehistoric animal replicas in the Safari Ltd range: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Figures.

5 02, 2009

Mini-Dinosaurs Pop-up Book – Triceratops

By |2022-12-13T10:51:56+00:00February 5th, 2009|Book Reviews, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Product Reviews|0 Comments

Mini-Pop Up Dinosaurs Review

At Everything Dinosaur, we are keen to help young readers learn more about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.  With a teaching background, our team members recognise the importance of early reading books and we have just added a set of four pop-up books designed with very young readers in mind.

Mini Pop-up Dinosaur Books

Each of the four books focuses on one specific dinosaur – Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and Brontosaurus.  Whilst we admire the robust hard covers and the size of the book ideal for small hands, it is clear they were not written by a palaeontologist.  The name Brontosaurus is no longer used, it has been replaced by Apatosaurus.

There is an article on our blog explaining why Brontosaurus got its name changed:-

Click here to read “Why Brontosaurus is no more”.

However, putting aside that one faux pas, these pop-ups are an excellent first dinosaur book.  The illustrations are very colourful, the series even includes a pink Stegosaurus (quite accurate as we do think some dinosaurs could turn themselves pink!); and a blue Triceratops.

To view the range of models and dinosaurs toys in stock: Everything Dinosaur.

In each book there are a serious of simple questions about the dinosaur concerned, the print is large and easy to read.  A flap in an illustration on the page is lifted and the answer revealed, there is a little more detail on the back of the flap to help Mums and Dads explain the answer.

A Mini Pop-up Dinosaur Book Featuring Triceratops

Mini pop-up dinosaur book

Learning about dinosaurs with a mini pop-up dinosaur book.

In addition, each book contains a card, self-assembly model of the animal featured in the book.  When we this series with a group of 3-4 year olds they took to them very well.  The mums had to help assembly the model but the children were able to read along and lift the flaps in the illustrations.

Team members at Everything Dinosaur get asked to review a number of dinosaur books for children, we are happy to oblige.

4 02, 2009

A Picture of the Titanosaur Saltasaurus by Everything Dinosaur

By |2022-12-13T10:31:19+00:00February 4th, 2009|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings|0 Comments

A Picture of the Dinosaur Called Saltasaurus by Everything Dinosaur

One of Everything Dinosaur’s favourite South American titanosaurs, the armoured Saltasaurus, whose fossils are known from Argentina.

A Scale Drawing of the Titanosaur Saltasaurus

Here comes a titanosaur!

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Saltasaurus dinosaur drawing is just one of the many hundreds of dinosaur pictures in the Everything Dinosaur database.

To view models of titanosaurs in stock at Everything Dinosaur: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Range.

3 02, 2009

Happy Birthday Gideon Mantell

By |2023-02-28T15:10:23+00:00February 3rd, 2009|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

Happy Birthday Gideon Mantell

Today, February 3rd is the day on which Gideon Mantell, a doctor by training but also one of the very first palaeontologists was born.  Gideon Mantell was born on this day in 1790.  From his home in southern England, Dr Mantell was able to combine is medical duties with his passion for geology and fossils and often visited quarries and other promising sites whilst returning to his home after visiting patients.  He named Iguanodon, the second member of the Order Dinosauria in 1825 and he made a considerable contribution to the early science of palaeontology.  Over the years, he built up a very large collection of fossils, the great majority of which had to be sold when he fell upon hard times.

Sir Richard Owen, did attempt to take the credit for a lot of Gideon Mantell’s work, indeed the two men were bitter rivals.  However, today the work of Gideon Mantell is not only highly respected but also his role in the study of the first dinosaur fossils is recognised.

Gideon Mantell

A memorial has been built to Dr Mantell, it is sited at Cuckfield, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England.  It was from Cuckfield that many of the fossil remains of the Iguanodon were discovered.  Dr Mantell received a sandstone block that contained an array of dis-articulated Iguanodon bones.  This huge block of stone is on exhibit at the London Natural History museum, it has been nick-named the “Mantell-piece”.

An Illustration of an Iguanodontid

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Iguanodon

The name Iguanodon means “Iguana tooth”, it relates to the fact that teeth associated with this genus resembled those of a modern Iguana.  In fact the first reconstructions of this dinosaur depicted it as a huge lizard-like animal with an enormous tail.  It was thanks to the research by scientists like Dr. Mantell, that it was finally realised for example, the forelimbs were shorter and smaller than the hind-limbs indicating a bipedal type of locomotion.

The genera that make up the Iguanodontidae family are currently under review, many specimens including the original holotype described by Mantell, are very incomplete and may represent very different dinosaurs.  The Iguanodon anglicus as named and described by Mantell in 1825, had much of the description based on just fossil teeth.  Fossilised reptile teeth unlike mammal teeth, are not distinctive enough to be used as the holotype specimen to name genera and species.  Mantell’s description has come under increasing scrutiny.

Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis

His description may no longer be valid, but as Iguanodon is synonymous with this type of advanced ornithopod, the name is likely to remain in scientific use.  Ironically, a new type of iguanodontid is recognised, fossils of a more lightly built type of Iguanodon have been discovered in southern England and more recently on the Isle of Wight.  This animal has been named Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis in honour of Gideon Mantell, who helped start the Iguanodontidae ball rolling as it were.  Today, we pay tribute to Gideon Mantell and his role in the development of palaeontology.

Mantellisaurus Fossil Exhibit on Display at the Natural History Museum London

UK Dinosaurs - Mantellisaurus on display.

Mantellisaurus on display in the Hintze Hall.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur stocks several models of iguanodontids including a replica of Mantellisaurus in the CollectA Prehistoric Life range of figures: CollectA Prehistoric Life Figures.

2 02, 2009

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

By |2022-12-13T10:21:46+00:00February 2nd, 2009|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page|0 Comments

Wintry Weather doesn’t stop Everything Dinosaur

Today, the worst snow falls in 18 years have hit southern England bringing traffic to a standstill and the cancellation of most of the south-east’s public transport.  Further north, we have had snow and it is still falling, although we have not had it as bad as London for example.

However, more snow is forecast tonight and the commute into work for some of the staff was a bit scary, what with the slippy road conditions.  Good news everybody made it in and we have kept packing and despatching orders for customers.

Heavy Snow Falls Across Much of the UK

Heavy snow falls.

Heavy snow falls across much of the UK causing disruption. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Snowy Scene

We invested in our own grit container and we have plenty of brushes and shovels in the warehouse so we set out this morning to sweep the warehouse yard and the access.  It took about an hour to clear all the snow and then we salted the area to (hopefully) prevent more snow settling.

We are using early Mesozoic salt and grit, to read more about this: Salting the roads, a 240-million year trip back in time.

Most of the team have gone home early, but a few of us brave souls will work late tonight so that we can keep on top of things.

The weather forecast is bad for the next few days, we have had to cancel a couple of our teaching sessions due to the adverse weather.  Let us hope that Spring arrives soon.

In the meantime, Everything Dinosaur team members advise our customers to stay safe and to wrap up warm.  If you don’t want to venture outside, you can always visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

1 02, 2009

Criminals steal Coprolite from London Natural History Museum

By |2022-12-13T10:17:09+00:00February 1st, 2009|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

Dinosaur Dung is Stolen from the London Natural History Museum

One of the saddest items of news to report for a while, criminals have stolen coprolite (that is fossilised dung), from the Natural History Museum in London.  The museum has just published a list of specimens and exhibits that have been lost, stolen or destroyed over the last five years.  The dinosaur dung was stolen from an exhibit at the Dino Jaws exhibition in 2006.  Exactly what the thieves intended to do with it is unknown, such fossils do have some value but small pieces of coprolite can be purchased for a few dollars from a number of reputable fossil merchants.  It is unlikely the thieves would have gained a great deal from the theft.

Coprolite

The problem with coprolite is that scientists cannot be entirely sure what sort of animal was responsible for producing the dung in the first place.  This particular specimen, dating from the Late Cretaceous was believed to have been droppings from a large, herbivorous dinosaur, probably a titanosaur, such as Saltasaurus.

Titanosaurs are part of the sauropod branch of the dinosaur family tree.  These long-necked, lizard-hipped dinosaurs still dominated the plant-eating faunas of the Southern Hemisphere for much of the Cretaceous.  It is thought that some types of titanosaur evolved into the biggest land creatures ever to have existed, with some types weighing over 50 Tonnes or more.

Dinosaur Coprolite

dinosaur coprolite

“Shiny side up” the joys of “dino dung”.  An example of a polished slice of dinosaur coprolite.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view a model of a titanosaur and other sauropod figures: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

Criminals have also helped themselves to 167 scarab beetles originally from South America and a centipede.  Another 2 dozen or so scarab beetles were stolen from a car in Vienna, Austria, when they were on loan to the Vienna Natural History Museum.

The theft of the 10 cm piece of dinosaur dung was reported, but police took no further action.  After all, it is hardly worth their while putting out a national alert as there would be little chance of retrieving it and if an officer did come across it, we don’t think they would have been able to recognise it.  Spotting dinosaur dung is a job for the professionals.

Commenting on the list of thefts and other exhibit incidents, museum director Professor Richard Lane stated:

“All of the items in the collections are of scientific and national value and many are literally priceless.  Like works of arts they are completely unique and so cannot be compared to anything else.  Consequently it is of great regret when items are stolen or lost”.

As for the coprolite theft Professor Lane went on to add:

“It is true that an item of fossilised dinosaur dung was stolen from the Dino Jaws exhibition; one might question what the thief would do with this.”

With more than 3.8 million visitors a year and anything up to 10,000 people at a time inside the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, such thefts are sadly inevitable.  It is a question of balance between allowing visitors access to the exhibits yet being mindful of security.

An entire draw of butterflies was lost in 2005, when a number of items from the entomology department were being moved.   A parcel containing mosquito specimens was lost in the post.  More than 20 fossil conodonts, an extinct group of small, jawless marine creatures, believed to be some of the most primitive chordates known were destroyed when the box containing them was knocked over and they accidently got hoovered up.

These are the sort of problems the curators have when they are in charge of such a vast collection, a good proportion of which is on display to the public.  Still if you get offered some dodgy dinosaur dung from a man in pub, you know what you must do.

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