All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.
4 12, 2018

New Schleich Replicas for 2019

By |2023-11-11T14:13:57+00:00December 4th, 2018|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products, Press Releases|0 Comments

New Schleich Prehistoric Animal Replicas for 2019

Schleich are introducing a number of new prehistoric animal replicas in 2019.  Several models have also been retired from their “Dinosaurs” range.  The first models scheduled for quarter 1 of 2019 are:

  • Schleich Spinosaurus (quadruped pose)
  • The Schleich Animantarx (an armoured dinosaur)
  • Schleich Dimorphodon (flying reptile)
  • The Schleich Dimetrodon (a sail-backed pelycosaur)
  • Schleich Giganotosaurus (giant, South American dinosaur)

The New for 2019 Schleich Prehistoric Animal Figures (Quarter 1 2019)

Schleich prehistoric animal figures for 2019.
New from Schleich – prehistoric animal figures for 2019.  Spinosaurus (top left), the nodosaurid Animantarx (top right), the Early Jurassic pterosaur Dimorphodon (centre), Giganotosaurus (bottom left) and the sail-backed reptile Dimorphodon (bottom right). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The New for 2019 Schleich Spinosaurus

The new for 2019 Schleich Spinosaurus model will replace the current obligate biped version (Spinosaurus violet).  The German manufacturer has created a Spinosaurus dinosaur model in a true quadrupedal pose, this reflects the consensus reached about the posture of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus in a scientific paper published in 2014.  Note that the sail of this figure has also been given a makeover with the new Spinosaurus sail much less rounded in shape than on previous incarnations.  The tail is much more crocodilian and the colour scheme chosen for this replica is muted and understated.

New for 2019 – Schleich Spinosaurus

New for 2019 Schleich Spinosaurus model.
The new for 2019 Schleich Spinosaurus model, depicting Spinosaurus as a quadruped.  This figure will have an articulated jaw.

Schleich Animantarx

Also expected in quarter 1 of 2019, is the Animantarx model.  An armoured dinosaur (member of the Nodosauridae family), from the famous Cedar Mountain Formation of the western United States (Utah).  This figure is being introduced to the range, as 2019 marks the twentieth anniversary of the formal scientific description of this three-metre-long “living citadel”.  The Animantarx model is the first nodosaurid that Schleich has added to their model range since the retirement of the “Saurus” Edmontonia more than a decade ago.

Coming to Everything Dinosaur in 2019 the Schleich Animantarx Model

The new for 2019 Schleich Animantarx dinosaur model.
The Schleich Animantarx dinosaur model (new for 2019).

A Schleich Dimorphodon

Flying into view comes the Schleich Dimorphodon model, a beautifully-crafted replica of a flying reptile, fossils of which were found by the famous Georgian/Victorian fossil hunter Mary Anning.  Unlike the majority of earlier Schleich pterosaur models, the Dimorphodon is not flying but modelled as a terrestrial animal, wandering around Early Jurassic forest floors on all fours.

The New for 2019 Schleich Dimorphodon Model

The Schleich Dimorphodon flying reptile model.
The Schleich Dimorphodon model (new for 2019).

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

The “eyespots” on the wings are very distinctive and that large skull with its big teeth has been carefully sculpted.  The tail too is also to be commended, it was very stiff and the “rudder” on the end might have been marked in some way to aid visual communication.  The Schleich Dimorphodon is due to arrive in early 2019, looks like it could be a soar away success!

Schleich Dimetrodon Model

A new colour version of the Dimetrodon will be introduced next year.  The 2016 Dimetrodon figure with its reticulated pattern on the sail, is being retired and will be replaced by this, predominantly green model.  Although, not a dinosaur and more closely related to modern humans than to animals such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Dimetrodon has been a staple of prehistoric animal ranges for a long time.  It might be sad to see the withdrawal of the 2016 model, but at least with this new addition, pelycosaurs will still be represented within the Schleich range.

Say Hello to a New Version of a Sail-backed Reptile – Schleich Dimetrodon

A prehistoric pelycosaur from Schleich (Dimetrodon).
New for 2019 Schleich Dimetrodon model.

To read a recent article about Schleich prehistoric animal model retirements: Schleich Prehistoric Animal Model Retirements 2018.

A New Schleich Giganotosaurus

The last of the new for 2019 announcements features a replacement for the brightly coloured, orange Giganotosaurus figure, which first made an appearance in 2015.  The colour scheme for the new figure is more subdued, when the paintwork on the new Spinosaurus figure is also considered, Schleich might be moving towards more subtle colouration on their prehistoric animal figures.  If this is a trend, then these new colour versions of existing replicas may have a greater appeal with animal figure collectors as well as dinosaur model fans.

The New for 2019 Schleich Giganotosaurus Model

Schleich Giganotosaurus dinosaur model (new for 2019).
New for 2019 Schleich Giganotosaurus dinosaur model.

All these models are scheduled to be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in the first few weeks of 2019.

To view the range of Schleich prehistoric animals currently available: Schleich Prehistoric Animal Models.

3 12, 2018

Lost Dinosaur Toe Bone Turns Up on the Internet

By |2023-11-11T14:06:18+00:00December 3rd, 2018|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Toe Bone Turns Up on the Internet

A rare dinosaur bone, one of only three dinosaur fossils known from the state of South Australia, is going on display at the South Australian Museum some forty-five years after it was lost to science.  The opalised bone, representing a single toe bone (phalanx), is believed to come from a type of theropod dinosaur and although named Kakuru kujani, which was officially described from opalised remains representing lower leg bones back in 1980, very little is known about this Cretaceous dinosaur.

The toe bone was found in Andamooka in the far north of South Australia sometime in the early 1970s.  It was spotted for sale in an opal shop in Hindley Street, Adelaide by Neville Pledge, the South Australian Museum’s then curator of fossils, in 1973.  Neville had the foresight to take several photographs, measurements and plaster casts of the toe bone.  However, shortly afterwards, the item was sold and it disappeared from the scientific community.

The Opalised Toe Bone on Display at the South Australian Museum

An opalised dinosaur toe bone on display (ventral view)
The five cm long opalised dinosaur toe bone from South Australia.

Picture credit: Ashleigh Glynn

The Tale of a Dinosaur Toe Bone

In April 2018, the bone was spotted up for sale on the internet by Coober Pedy resident Joy Kloester, who purchased the bone and then offered it to the South Australian Museum.  The Museum’s Senior Collections Manager for Earth Sciences, Ben McHenry acted quickly to acquire the specimen for the vertebrate palaeontology department.

Mr McHenry commented:

“I couldn’t believe our luck in finding the same bone after forty-five years.”

Dinosaur bones from South Australia are extremely rare.  The only two other bones known to science found to date are also part of the vertebrate fossil collection of the South Australian Museum.  During the Early Cretaceous period (around 110 million years ago, Albian fauna stage), when dinosaurs roamed the land, most of South Australia was under water, being part of the ancient Eromanga Sea.  The sediments deposited on the floor of this ancient sea now form the rocks of the Great Artesian Basin and preserve the abundant remains of marine life that can be viewed in the Museum’s Opal Fossil gallery.

This special dinosaur toe bone will be on display in this gallery from today (December 3rd).  Neville Pledge is now an Honorary Researcher at the South Australia Museum, it seems his discovery from 45 years ago, has now joined him at this highly respected institution.

What Sort of Dinosaur was Kakuru kujani?

Kakuru kujani (pronounced: Kah-koo-roo koo-yan-eee), is believed to be about the size of a turkey.  Unfortunately, given the limited fossil material, it is not possible to identify its taxonomic position with the Theropoda.  K. kujani was described from fragmentary lower leg bones (tibia and possible fibula fragments), the toe bone may not belong to this genus at all, but given the lack of other candidates, the Museum has assigned the bone to Kakuru.

It has been postulated that this dinosaur was an oviraptorid, although some affinity to the Abelisauridae has also been proposed.  Its formal classification remains Theropoda incertae sedis, which means it has an uncertain placement within this Suborder.

A Speculative Reconstruction of Kakuru kujani

A life reconstruction of Kakuru kujani.
A speculative reconstruction of the theropod dinosaur Kakuru kujani from South Australia.  In this illustration, K. kujani is depicted as an oviraptorosaurian dinosaur.

Picture credit: South Australian Museum

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a press release from the South Australian Museum in the compilation of this article.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

2 12, 2018

Bully for Baryonyx – A Famous Dinosaur

By |2023-11-11T13:34:36+00:00December 2nd, 2018|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

Bully for Baryonyx

When amateur fossil collector William Walker found a huge fossilised claw in a Surrey clay pit, our understanding of theropod dinosaurs began to change.  The claw (which was discovered in January 1983), was only the start of the story.  The following late spring and early summer saw a field team from the Natural History Museum in London working in the pit to extract nearly two thirds of the skeleton of an unknown and never seen before meat-eating dinosaur.

Bully for Baryonyx

The bones were entombed in hard siltstone nodules and clay.  It took a further six years of preparation before all the bones representing a single, individual specimen had been cleaned and prepared for display.  The dinosaur was named by palaeontologists Alan J. Charig and Angela C. Milner in 1986, when enough of the fossil material had been cleaned and prepared revealing a very different type of theropod dinosaur.  Baryonyx walkeri is a member of the Spinosauridae family.

An Illustration of the Theropod Dinosaur Baryonyx (B. walkeri)

A drawing of the Theropod dinosaur Baryonyx.
An illustration of the theropod dinosaur Baryonyx. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Theropod Baryonyx walkeri

The theropod was named Baryonyx walkeri and it has been classified as a member of the Spinosauridae family, although the exact taxonomic position of Baryonyx and related dinosaurs such as Suchomimus remains disputed.  A revision in 2018, concluded that baryonychid dinosaurs were monophyletic (all descended from a common ancestor).  Everything Dinosaur team members have been busy preparing for the arrival next year of the new CollectA 1:40 scale Baryonyx model, the illustration (above) has been commissioned so that we can update our Baryonyx fact sheet.

See the CollectA Deluxe model range: CollectA Deluxe Dinosaur Models.

The New for 2019 CollectA Deluxe Baryonyx Dinosaur Model

CollectA Deluxe Baryonyx dinosaur model.
The CollectA Deluxe 1:40 scale Baryonyx dinosaur model.

The Subfamily Baryonychinae

In their original 1986 description, palaeontologists Alan Charig and Angela Milner erected the Subfamily Baryonychinae, however, where the Baryonychinae sits within the Spinosauridae remains open to debate.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

1 12, 2018

Defining Background Extinction

By |2023-11-11T13:25:29+00:00December 1st, 2018|Animal News Stories, Educational Activities, Main Page, Teaching|0 Comments

What is Background Extinction?

Amongst the numerous emails that we receive from schools and schoolchildren every day, we were sent a query by a UK-based, Key Stage 2 teacher, who raised a question surrounding the teaching of natural selection, Darwinism and evolution with her Year 6 class.  The teacher had come across the term “background extinction”, but was unsure as to its meaning, could we help?

Bolide Impacts May Have Contributed to Mass Extinctions But What is Background Extinction?

The extinction of the dinosaurs.
The impact of an extra-terrestrial object such as a comet or asteroid probably contributed to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event.

Defining Background Extinction

If ideas about natural selection are correct, then organisms in ecosystems are all competing against each other for resources.  Such competition for finite resources such as space, water and food will lead to some organisms being more successful than others.  Ultimately, those less competitive organisms within a population will not survive to reproduce.  The same idea applies on a species level, some species will be more successful than other species. 

Eventually, in the face of this competition, some species will die out.  These extinctions as a result of the operation of normal competition and natural selection are referred to as “background extinction”.  These extinctions are also sometimes referred to as the “standard rate of extinction”.

It is estimated that something like 90% of all extinctions throughout the history of our planet have taken place during times of background extinction.

To read an article (2015), that looks at why Australia’s extinction rate might be higher than on other continents: The Extinction Rate in Australia is Higher than most Other Continents.

Background Extinction – Extension Activities

In order to help the teacher’s scheme of work with the Year 6 class, we set two extension activities linked to the theme of background extinction:

1).  Could the school children draw a graph to represent mass extinction events that have occurred but also show on the same graph background extinction?

2).  Have the children research The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), can they produce a non-chronological report on this organisation, its aims, objectives and what current conservation projects are being undertaken?  There are plenty of on-line resources available including videos to support this type of independent enquiry and research.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

30 11, 2018

Tsintaosaurus Illustrated by Talented Artist

By |2023-11-11T13:07:24+00:00November 30th, 2018|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

A Life Reconstruction of Tsintaosaurus (T. spinorhinus)

Formally named and described sixty years ago (1958), we feature in today’s blog posting the bizarre Lambeosaurine Tsintaosaurus (Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus).  This dinosaur, often referred to as a “unicorn-like” dinosaur because of its bizarre crest, comes from the Wangshi Formation of Shandong Province (eastern China).

A Life Reconstruction of the Lambeosaurine Tsintaosaurus (T. spinorhinus)

A life reconstruction of the duck-billed dinosaur called Tsintaosaurus by the famous Chinese palaeoartist Zhao Chuang.
A life reconstruction of the hadrosaurid Tsintaosaurus by the renowned Chinese palaeoartist Zhao Chuang.

Picture credit: Zhao Chuang

The Anterior Portions of a Hadrosaurid

The picture above was painted by renowned Chinese palaeoartist Zhao Chuang.  This great illustrator has produced numerous paintings of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, many of which have been used in scientific papers and reports.  Why in this instance only the anterior portion of the dinosaur is shown, we cannot say, although this does give the viewer the opportunity to focus on that bizarre head crest.

The presence of a upright horn-like crest on the snout of Tsintaosaurus has been disputed.  Some palaeontologists noted that this sliver of bone that represented the horn could in fact be a piece of the nasal bone (naris), that had become displaced and deformed as a result of the fossilisation process.  It was the eminent French palaeontologist Eric Buffetaut, whilst studying skull material who confirmed that this strange process was indeed a horn.  Its function remains uncertain.  It may have played a role in visual communication and it could have had a flap of skin running down its front edge, a viewpoint supported by Zhao Chuang’s excellent illustration.

The CollectA Tsintaosaurus Dinosaur Model

Models and figures of this Late Cretaceous herbivorous dinosaur are few and far between but CollectA did add a Tsintaosaurus replica to their not-to-scale “Prehistoric Life” model range in 2012.

The CollectA Tsintaosaurus Dinosaur Model

CollectA Tsintaosaurus dinosaur model.
Colourful, Crested Dinosaur Model – Tsintaosaurus

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view the CollectA Age of Dinosaurs range: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Models.

Sadly, this figure is believed to have been retired by CollectA and no more models of this Chinese duck-billed dinosaur will be produced.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

29 11, 2018

The Colourful Schleich Prehistoric Animal Model Retirements

By |2023-11-11T13:09:27+00:00November 29th, 2018|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products, Press Releases|0 Comments

Schleich Prehistoric Animal Model Retirements

Several prehistoric animal figures are being retired from the popular Schleich “Dinosaurs” brand in 2019.  There are going to be new models added to this range next year, but for the moment, Everything Dinosaur can announce that the following prehistoric animal figures are going out of production and into retirement.

Schleich Prehistoric Animal Model Retirements (2018/9)

Model retirements from the Schleich "Dinosaurs" range.
Schleich prehistoric animal model retirements (2018-2019).  The models being withdrawn are Dimetrodon (top left), the orange Giganotosaurus (top right), the Spinosaurus known as violet (bottom left) and the horned dinosaur Pentaceratops (bottom right). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Schleich Model Retirements

  • Schleich Dimetrodon.
  • The Schleich Giganotosaurus (orange).
  • Schleich Spinosaurus (violet).
  • Schleich Pentaceratops.

Making Room for More Prehistoric Animal Figures

The production team at Schleich are committed to making more prehistoric animal figures and Everything Dinosaur will announce new additions for 2019 shortly, however, some turnover of models is to be expected.  The Schleich ethos of combining educational, highly detailed figures that have been painted with great care continues as a central theme to the “Dinosaurs” product offering.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Model ranges are updated and changed periodically and some older lines have to be dropped to make way for new colour variants and new figures.  Our customers can be reassured that we still have all four of these Schleich figures in stock and we have no intention of raising our prices to exploit any rarity value that these figures might soon acquire.”

The Schleich Dimetrodon Model

Schleich Dimetrodon jaws.
The jaws of the Schleich Dimetrodon. Picture credit: Everyhting Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Dimetrodon figure was launched just two years ago.  This colour scheme is being withdrawn, of all the prehistoric animal figures to be retired this year, the Dimetrodon is the most recently introduced.  Fans of Permian reptiles might be disappointed, but Dimetrodon will make a return to the Schleich portfolio very soon.

The Schleich Giganotosaurus (Orange)

Introduced alongside the equally colourful Spinosaurus (violet), the Schleich Giganotosaurus (orange), has proved to be a strong seller, particularly with younger dinosaur fans.  Everything Dinosaur team members were given the chance to view this figure before its official launch in 2015.  As a model of one of the largest terrestrial carnivores to have ever lived, this brightly coloured dinosaur has proved to be a big hit.  It will be replaced by another colour variant Giganotosaurus in early 2019.

Everything Dinosaur Team Members were given a Preview of the Orange Giganotosaurus Prior to its Introduction

The Schleich Giganotosaurus dinosaur model.
“Giant Southern Lizard”.  A very colourful Giganotosaurus model introduced in 2015. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Spinosaurus Violet

The Schleich Spinosaurus (violet), was introduced to replace an earlier Spinosaurus figure that came out in 2012.  The 2012 figure had depicted this African dinosaur as a more fully bipedal animal, but the body plan of violet did lend itself to the idea that this dinosaur could have adopted a quadrupedal stance.  Schleich will introduce a new Spinosaurus figure next year, it will reflect the latest scientific thinking about this theropod.

Schleich Spinosaurus (Violet) Retired from the Range

Schleich Spinosaurus (2015).
Beautiful Spinosaurus dinosaur model from Schleich. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Goodbye to the Schleich Pentaceratops

The Schleich Pentaceratops model, which first came out in 2014, is also being withdrawn.  It is likely to be replaced by a new horned dinosaur figure that may come out in the second half of 2019.

Saying Goodbye to the Schleich Pentaceratops Figure

Schleich Pentaceratops.
Schleich Pentaceratops available from Everything Dinosaur whilst stocks last. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view the range of Schleich models available from Everything Dinosaur, including these out of production figures: Schleich Prehistoric Animals and Figures.

28 11, 2018

JurassicCollectables Reviews the Papo Quetzalcoatlus

By |2023-11-11T12:54:09+00:00November 28th, 2018|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Everything Dinosaur videos, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products, Product Reviews|0 Comments

The Papo Quetzalcoatlus Model Video Review

The hardworking production team at JurassicCollectables have made a video review of the new for 2018 Papo Quetzalcoatlus pterosaur model.  At Everything Dinosaur, the Quetzalcoatlus figure (along with the Papo Compsognathus), represent the last of this year’s models to be introduced by Papo.  Although no Quetzalcoatlus flying reptiles appear in the “Jurassic Park/Jurassic World” film franchise, the video narrator makes the point that the model’s colouration, especially around that impressive beak, is very similar to the Pteranodons seen in the various movies.

Papo Quetzalcoatlus

In the brief video, the video is a fraction under eight minutes in length (7.58), the JurassicCollectables narrator reviews this new azhdarchid pterosaur model and compares and contrasts this figure with the aforementioned Papo Compsognathus.  Also featured is the classic Papo green standing Tyrannosaurus rex model, even mathematician Ian Malcolm makes an appearance!

JurassicCollectables – Papo Quetzalcoatlus Pterosaur Model Video Review

Video credit: JurassicCollectables

JurassicCollectables have produced videos on a whole range of prehistoric animals including all the figures that Papo have produced, to see these videos and to subscribe to their amazing YouTube channel: Subscribe to JurassicCollectables on YouTube.

The Impressive Papo Quetzalcoatlus Figure

Papo Quetzalcoatlus model.
The new for 2018 Papo Quetzalcoatlus figure.  It even has an articulated beak!

The Papo Quetzalcoatlus “The Detail is Impressive”

The viewer is given a guided tour of this walking pterosaur figure, the narrator comments that the “detail is most impressive” and praises the texture given to the model by the use of “micro-feathers”, it is the pycnofibres that are being referred to.  Palaeontologists now know that many kinds of flying reptile were covered in hair-like filaments.  Quetzalcoatlus may have had a shaggy coat!

The designers at Papo have taken great care to give their figure a ruffled and naturalistic appearance, a point picked up in the video review.

To see the range of Papo prehistoric animal models available from Everything Dinosaur (including the Papo Quetzalcoatlus): Papo Prehistoric Animal Models.

In the JurassicCollectables Video the Papo Quetzalcoatlus Figure is Reviewed

Reviewing the Papo Quetzalcoatlus pterosaur model.
JurassicCollectables reviews the Papo Quetzalcoatlus model.

Picture credit: JurassicCollectables

The picture above shows one of the studio shots from the video review of this Papo flying reptile model.  One of the great benefits of video reviews such as this, is that potential buyers can take a really good look at a figure before purchase.

A Colourful Crest and a Beautifully Painted Mouth

The narrator comments on the very colourful crest of this pterosaur model and demonstrates how the jaw articulates.  Unlike most prehistoric animal models, it is the upper jaw that articulates.  Once the beak is open, the video narrator praises Papo for the great skill and care taken in sculpting and painting the inside of the mouth.  Size measurements are made and several other figures are used to demonstrate just how big this pterosaur figure is.  For example, in one part of the review the recently introduced Papo Compsognathus model is shown in comparison with the Papo Quetzalcoatlus.

The Papo Quetzalcoatlus is Compared in Size to the Papo Compsognathus Figure

Papo Compsognathus and the Papo Quetzalcoatlus.
Comparing the Papo Quetzalcoatlus (right) with the Papo Compsognathus (left).

Picture credit: JurassicCollectables

Off-colour Alan is Missing

Regular viewers and subscribers to JurassicCollectable’s YouTube channel will know that a figure called “off-colour Alan” usually makes an appearance.  However, on this occasion, this human figure was nowhere to be found so a replica of Dr Ian Malcolm from the film Jurassic Park is used to provide an additional size comparison.   We hope that “off-colour Alan” is found soon, after all, there are a lot of prehistoric animal models coming out in the next few months, so the video review team at JurassicCollectables are going to be kept very busy.

No “Off-colour Alan” But Plenty of Views of the Papo Quetzalcoatlus Model

Reviewing the Papo Quetzalcoatlus pterosaur model.
JurassicCollectables reviews the Papo Quetzalcoatlus model.

Picture credit: JurassicCollectables

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

27 11, 2018

Special Beasts of the Mesozoic New for 2019 Newsletter

By |2023-11-11T12:36:09+00:00November 27th, 2018|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Newsletters, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products, Press Releases|0 Comments

Nine New Beasts of the Mesozoic Figures Set for Spring 2019

November has been a busy time for our newsletters, with so many new models and figures coming into stock, Everything Dinosaur team members have been working hard to update subscribers on all the exciting developments.  Take for example, the Beasts of the Mesozoic range.  In the spring, this very popular series of “raptor” figures is going to be extended with the addition of another nine articulated replicas, including a limited-edition Velociraptor osmolskae figure “Alpha”.

Reserve lists for all these exciting new models have been opened, but as always, it is our newsletter subscribers and social media followers who get to hear about these developments first.

New Beasts of the Mesozoic Figures Coming to Everything Dinosaur in the Spring of 2019

New additions to the Beasts of the Mesozoic range coming in 2019.
New Beasts of the Mesozoic models scheduled for spring 2019.  Look out for the limited-edition Velociraptor osmolskae figure “Alpha”, an exclusive to Everything Dinosaur in Europe. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

New Beasts of the Mesozoic Dromaeosaurid Figures

The Beasts of the Mesozoic 1/6th scale “raptor” figures are stunning models and in the spring a number of new colour variants will be added to this popular range.  There will be a new Saurornitholestes model (Saurornitholestes sullivani), in a striking purple and blue colour scheme.  This model has been inspired by the famous “Road Runner” cartoon, the speedy Saurornitholestes is bound to get pulses racing.  Furthermore, there will be two new Velociraptor mongoliensis figures, the frightening Velociraptor – black and a new, colourful V. mongoliensis figure, which will replace the original Velociraptor model that came out in the first batch of Beasts of the Mesozoic releases.

There will also be a new Dromaeosaurus albertensis figure coming out in the spring, this too will be replacing the original Dromaeosaurus articulated model that was introduced in the first production run of the “raptor” series.

To view the Beasts of the Mesozoic figures, including the original Dromaeosaurus albertensis figure that is still available (whilst stocks last): Beasts of the Mesozoic Figures.

New for Spring 2019 – Four New “Raptor” Series Figures

Everything Dinosaur's newsletter features four new versions of dromaeosaurids for 2019.
Four new versions of dromaeosaurids being added to the Beasts of the Mesozoic model range in 2019. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

“Eastern” and “Western” Model Sets

Breaking news for model collectors, in honour of the temporal and geographical range of these successful dinosaurs, new model sets will be introduced.

New Colour Schemes and “Eastern” and “Western” Model Sets

Beasts of the Mesozoic "raptors" for spring 2019.
New Beasts of the Mesozoic “raptors” for spring 2019. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The newsletter features a further four new figures.  There will be newly painted models in “Eastern” and “Western” model sets which reflect on the global distribution of these types of theropod dinosaurs.  A trio of white hatchings will be launched, another addition to the highly collectable “nestlings” range and Everything Dinosaur will be stocking a second colour variant of an Asian Velociraptorinae subfamily member, the enigmatic Velociraptor osmolskae.   Looks like our team members are going to have to prepare a special fact sheet to accompany sales of this figure.

Our newsletter readers are amongst the first to learn about new replicas coming into stock.   Subscribers can also be the first to join special VIP reserve lists to ensure that they can obtain new figures.  The Everything Dinosaur newsletter is sent out periodically and it is free to join.

To reserve a new for spring 2019 Beasts of the Mesozoic articulated replica figure such as our limited edition and exclusive for Europe Velociraptor osmolskae, or to request a subscription to Everything Dinosaur’s regular newsletter service, simply drop us an email: Email Everything Dinosaur.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur outlined plans for the introduction of these new figures:

“These exciting, new figures should be available to Everything Dinosaur customers in the spring.  We have reserve lists open for these new additions to the Beasts of the Mesozoic range and we are giving collectors the chance to ensure that they have priority so that they do not run the risk of missing out.”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

26 11, 2018

Extinction of the “Siberian Unicorn” Caused by Climate Change

By |2023-11-11T12:30:15+00:00November 26th, 2018|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

Elasmotherium Survived Until Around 36,000 Years Ago

The enormous rhinoceros Elasmotherium sibiricum, sometimes referred to as the “Siberian unicorn”, on account of its massive, single nose horn, survived until much more recently than previously thought.  In a new study, published in the academic journal “Nature Ecology and Evolution”, a team of international scientists conclude that E. sibiricum survived in eastern Europe and central Asia until at least 39,000 years ago.  It probably finally died out sometime around 36,000 years ago.  Furthermore, the study has resolved a long-standing debate amongst palaeontologists as to the taxonomic relationship of rhinos like Elasmotherium with their living, distant relatives.

A Life Reconstruction of Elasmotherium sibiricum

Elasmotherium sibiricum life reconstruction.
A life reconstruction of Elasmotherium sibiricum.

Picture credit: Zdeněk Burian

Climate Change Led to the Demise of Elasmotherium

The research team which included scientists from the Oxford University, the University of New South Wales, Adelaide University, the London Natural History Museum, Groningen University (Holland) and the Russian Academy of Sciences, conclude that although, this more than three-tonne giant lived at the same time as Neanderthals as well as modern humans, hominins probably played very little part in its eventual demise and extinction.  Instead, it is likely that climate change, resulting in the reduction of the steppe (grasslands), on which this rhino grazed, led to the extinction of Elasmotherium.

One of the co-authors of the study, Professor Chris Turney, a climate scientist at the University of New South Wales stated:

“It is unlikely that the presence of humans was the cause of extinction.  The Siberian unicorn appears to have been badly hit by the start of the Ice Age in Eurasia when a precipitous fall in temperature led to an increase in the amount of frozen ground, reducing the tough, dry grasses it lived on and impacting populations over a vast region.”

The “Siberian Unicorn” May Have Persisted Until Around 36,000 Years Ago

A painting of the "Siberian unicorn" - Elasmotherium.
Elasmotherium illustrated.

Picture credit: W S van der Merwe/Natural History Museum

A Handful of Rhino Species Today

There are only a handful of rhinoceros species living today, all of which are faced with extinction.  The extant rhinos are just the remnants of a huge and very diverse sub-group of “odd-toed” hoofed mammals (Perissodactyla).  Elasmotherium is known from numerous fossils from China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.  As part of the research, a genetic analysis of collagen extracted from Elasmotherium bones was undertaken.  The DNA data revealed that Elasmotherium was the last surviving member of a unique family of rhinos.

The DNA analysis showed that a divergence between the Elasmotherium and other rhino subfamilies started taking place in the Eocene Epoch (between 56 and 34 million years ago).

Adelaide University researcher Dr Kieren Mitchell, who analysed the ancient DNA, the first time that DNA had been recovered from Elasmotherium sibiricum fossil bones stated:

“The ancestors of the Siberian unicorn split from the ancestors of all living rhinos over 40 million years ago.  That makes the Siberian unicorn and the African white rhino even more distant cousins than humans are to monkeys.”

This new genetic evidence overturns previous studies that suggested the Siberian unicorn was a very close relative of the extinct woolly rhino (Coelodonta antiquitatis) and the living, but critically endangered, Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis).

The Quaternary Megafaunal Extinction Event

It had been thought that Elasmotherium became extinct around 200,000 B.C. well before the last Ice Age event in the northern hemisphere and many tens of thousands of years before the Late Quaternary megafaunal extinction event, which began around 130,000 years ago.  Radiocarbon dating of twenty-three individual specimens indicate that E. sibiricum survived in eastern Europe and central Asia until at least 39,000 years ago and possibly as late as 36,000 years ago.  Isotope data taken from fossil teeth indicate that this giant rhinoceros lived on the dry steppe and had a highly specialised diet, which probably contributed to its eventual extinction.

As the last surviving member of the Elasmotheriinae, the extinction of E. sibiricum marked the termination of this part of the Rhinoceros family tree.

Other species that shared the Siberian unicorn’s environment were either less reliant on grass, such as Coelodonta antiquitatis, or more flexible in their diet , like the saiga antelope and escaped the Siberian unicorn’s fate, although the C. antiquitatis eventually became extinct some 20,000 years later.

Everything Dinosaur announced earlier this month that they would be stocking a 1:20 scale model of Elasmotherium sibiricum (CollectA Deluxe).

To view the CollectA Deluxe range: CollectA Deluxe Prehistoric Life Models.

The CollectA Elasmotherium sibiricum Model Coming to Everything Dinosaur in 2019

 CollectA Deluxe Elasmotherium model.
The CollectA Deluxe Elasmotherium model.

A fantastic Elasmotherium model.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a press release from the University of Adelaide in the compilation of this article.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

25 11, 2018

Newly Described Giant Dicynodont from the Late Triassic

By |2023-11-11T12:10:26+00:00November 25th, 2018|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Lisowicia bojani Huge Dicynodont from the Late Triassic of Poland

The Late Triassic of southern Poland was home to a giant “mammal-like” reptile the size of an elephant and weighing some 9 tons.  Scientists from the Polish Academy of Sciences in collaboration with colleagues from Uppsala University (Sweden), have published details on the discovery of the fossilised remains of a huge therapsid, specifically a dicynodont, that has been named Lisowicia bojani.  This super-sized, distant ancestor of modern mammals is believed to have measured around 4. 5 metres in length and stood more than 2.6 metres tall.

A Life Reconstruction of the Newly Described Giant Dicynodont Lisowicia bojani

L. bojani illustrated.
A life reconstruction of the giant dicynodont Lisowicia bojani.

Picture credit: Karolina Suchan-Okulska

More than 1,000 Bones Recovered from a Clay Pit

The first fossil remains were found by Polish geologists Robert Borzęcki and Piotr Menducki in 2005, when they were exploring a clay pit which represented a river deposit from the Upper Triassic.  The dig site is close to the village of Lisowice, numerous field teams have been despatched to the area and over the last few years, more than 1,000 bones and bone fragments have been collected, including the fossilised remains of a giant dicynodont.  At first the scientists thought they had discovered the fossils of a sauropod, but soon it was realised that the large and robust bones represented a therapsid.

The genus name is in honour of the nearby village, whilst the trivial name honours the German comparative anatomist Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus.

Field Team Members Excavated Fossils from the Clay Pit (Silesia, southern Poland)

Field team members at work.
Field team members working in the clay pit looking for dicynodont fossils.

Picture credit: Dr Grzegorz Niedzwiedzki (Uppsala University)

Lisowicia bojani – Defining Dicynodonts

Dicynodonts (die-sigh-no-donts), are a group of extinct, synapsids which evolved during the Permian period.  These quadrupeds were herbivorous and belong to the Order Therapsida, which includes modern mammals.  It had been thought that by the Late Triassic, these animals had died out, the discovery of L. bojani from strata estimated to be around 210-205 million years old indicates that they persisted into the Late Triassic in Europe.  The fossilised remains of Lisowicia are at least ten million years younger than any previously described dicynodont fossil material.

Commenting on the discovery, Dr Tomasz Sulej (Polish Academy of Sciences) and one of the researchers involved in this study, stated:

“The discovery of Lisowicia changes our ideas about the latest history of dicynodonts, mammal Triassic relatives. It also raises far more questions about what really make them and dinosaurs so large.”

The Massive and Very Robust Limb Bones of Lisowicia bojani

Excavating the giant limb bones of Lisowicia.
The huge fossil limb bones of Lisowicia.  The large bone above the compass is a humerus (upper arm bone), the bone by the feet is a scapula.

Picture credit: Dr Grzegorz Niedzwiedzki (Uppsala University)

CollectA have produced a scale model of Lisowicia bojani: CollectA Deluxe Prehistoric Life.

The discovery of Lisowicia provides the first evidence that mammal-like elephant sized dicynodonts were present at the same time as the more well-known long-necked Sauropodomorpha dinosaurs, contrary to previous belief.  Lisowicia fills a gap in the fossil record of dicynodonts and it shows that some anatomical features of limbs thought to characterize large mammals or dinosaurs evolved also in the non-mammalian synapsid.  Furthermore, these findings from Poland are the first substantial finds of dicynodonts from the Late Triassic in Europe.  Lisowicia is at least 40% bigger than any known dicynodont.

A Skeletal Drawing of Lisowicia bojani (Note Scale Bar)

A reconstruction of the skeleton of Lisowicia bojani.
Skeletal drawing of Lisowicia bojani.  Note the scale bar = 1 metre.

Picture credit: Dr Tomasz Sulej (Polish Academy of Sciences)

Commenting on the significance of the fossil find, Dr Tomasz Sulej remarked:

“The discovery of such an important new species is a once in a lifetime discovery.”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

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