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.
Our thanks to young dinosaur fan Jenson who provided Everything Dinosaur with a trio of colourful prehistoric animal drawings. A team member had visited Jenson’s school. The term topic had been dinosaurs and Jenson wanted to show his drawing of three colourful prehistoric animals.
Jenson provided Everything Dinosaur team members with a very colourful trio of prehistoric animal drawings. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Colourful Prehistoric Animal Drawings
Several schoolchildren had produced dinosaur illustrations. The Everything Dinosaur team member praised the children’s efforts and commented:
“Such wonderful, colourful drawings of pterosaurs and dinosaurs. These illustrations make a fantastic classroom display. The boxes on the drawings allow the children to include some adjectives that describe their artwork. This helps them practice their writing skills as well as their hand-eye co-ordination.”
The spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur thanked the teaching team for inviting them to the school. He added that the term topic had been carefully planned. It contained lots of amazing lesson plans to help children with their reading, writing and general development.
Everything Dinosaur is based in the UK, and it supplies dinosaur and prehistoric animal related figures, gifts, soft toys, clothing and merchandise. Run by teachers and knowledgeable dinosaur enthusiasts helping collectors of prehistoric animal models and promoting education and an appreciation of the Earth sciences.
To visit the company’s award-winning and user-friendly website: Everything Dinosaur.
Everything Dinosaur team members were reviewing some wonderful examples of cave art created by Year 3 and Year 4 pupils. The children attended Bowlee Community Primary, and they had been studying life in the Stone Age. As part of an exciting and diverse term topic the children had recreated cave paintings.
A wonderful example of “Stone Age” cave art recreated by pupils at Bowlee Community Primary. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Recreating Cave Art
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur recalled visiting the school in 2017 and again in 2018. He praised the teaching team for their dedication and enthusiasm. The examples of the Stone Age drawings had been put on display outside the classroom. The children explained that they had enjoyed learning about their ancestors. They enjoyed creating the cave art and they were fascinated by the pictures of real cave art their teacher had shown them.
Everything Dinosaur team members have been examining generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and how this exciting new technology might change the company. Recently, to commemorate the ninety-seventh birthday of Sir David Attenborough, Everything Dinosaur asked ChatGPT to write a short blog post. The ChatGPT artificial intelligence wrote a short biography of the naturalist and broadcaster. We also asked ChatGPT to compose a short birthday message to Sir David.
Artificial intelligence has a myriad of applications. As part of our testing programme to assess the scope of the current technology, we challenged ChatGPT (version 3.5) to provide Everything Dinosaur with five facts about Tyrannosaurus rex.
The Rebor T. rex Tusk King T. rex Requiem model is supplied with a clear plastic support base, but our models appear quite stable even standing on our office carpet without the need for the support stand. Can ChatGPT provide five facts about this famous dinosaur? Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
The picture (above) shows a Tyrannosaurus figure from Rebor (Tusk).
In response to our question “list five facts about Tyrannosaurus rex, here are the five facts about T. rex that ChatGPT compiled:
1). Tyrannosaurus rex lived during the Late Cretaceous period (approximately 68 to 65 million years ago).
It is true that T. rex lived during the Late Cretaceous however, we would take issue with the temporal range suggested. The date of the end-Cretaceous extinction event and the demise of the non-avian Dinosauria is now thought to have occurred around 66 million years ago. T. rex is known from several Upper Cretaceous North American formations, dating the fossil bones is notoriously difficult.
The Size of Tyrannosaurus rex
2). Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest land predators ever to exist, measuring up to 12 metres (40 feet) long and weighing up to 6.8 metric tonnes (15,000 pounds).
We will not dispute the ChatGPT comment about T. rex being one of the largest land predators ever. However, the size estimates could be disputed. For example, the biggest specimens described to date “Sue” and “Scotty” measure more than 12 metres in length. The robust “Scotty” is estimated to be around 13 metres long with a body weight calculated at approximately 8.8 tonnes (19,400 pounds).
3). Tyrannosaurus rex had a powerful bite force of up to 12,800 pounds per square inch – enough to crush the bones of its prey.
Not much to dispute here. There has been a considerable amount of research into the potential bite force of an adult animal. A study published in 2012 (Bates and Falkingham) did indeed suggest a bite force around 12,800 lbs, for the teeth located in the back of the mouth. The researchers suggested a potential range of bite forces, with 12,800 lbs being at the upper end of their estimates.
Banana-shaped Eyes?
4). Tyrannosaurus rex had two large, banana-shaped eyes which gave it good depth perception and probably excellent vision.
This is not true, T. rex did not have two large, banana-shaped eyes. We suspect that this is the GenAI confusing two aspects of tyrannosaur cranial anatomy. Something that a real person would intuitively consider incorrect. T. rex is famous for its large teeth, often described as being banana-shaped. Its eyes were spherical and quite big, about the size of a tennis ball.
ChatGPT is correct when it asserts that it had good depth perception and probably excellent vision. Many palaeontologists suggest that T. rex had vision as good as a modern-day bird of prey.
The Rebor GrabNGo 02 T. rex Type A in anterior view. T. rex probably had excellent, binocular vision. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
5). Tyrannosaurus rex had a small brain compared to its body size, with a brain volume of only 1.5 litres (2.6 pints).
It is accurate to state that T. rex had a small brain relative to its body mass. This does not provide a measure of intelligence. For example, many birds such as crows and pigeons have small brains, but they are capable of solving complex problems and prodigious feats of memory and navigation. The statement about brain volume could also be disputed. Soft tissue preservation in the fossil record is exceptionally rare. No T. rex brain tissue has yet been found.
Brain size assessments are based on the volume of the braincase as calculated when skull bones are reconstructed. It would also be incorrect to assume that the brain of a Tyrannosaurus rex would completely fill the braincase, so only the maximum potential brain volume can be calculated.
Whilst errors can be identified in the answers given, we congratulate ChatGPT. It was a credible effort, particularly since the data set that the programme was working on was last updated in September 2021 or thereabouts.
The use of GenAI in writing books about dinosaurs, teaching about dinosaurs and perhaps providing updated display boards in museums is not too far away.
Everything Dinosaur has added a horseshoe crab soft toy to its range of prehistoric plush. The horseshoe crab is very cuddly, sponge washable and is a wonderful new addition to the company’s prehistoric animal soft toy range.
Everything Dinosaur has added a soft toy horseshoe crab to it range of prehistoric animal soft toys. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Horseshoe Crab Soft Toy
Animals in the family Limulidae are called “horseshoe crabs” due to the shape of their carapace which is shaped like a horseshoe. These ancient animals are not crabs. The first of these amazing creatures is thought to have evolved around 480 million years ago in the Ordovician. Often described as “living fossils” the four remaining species are the last representatives of the family, which was much more diverse in prehistoric times. Their body shape has not changed for millions of years.
Prehistoric plush! The soft and cuddly horseshoe crab.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Important Animals for Medical Research
These ancient creatures, with their famous, blue-coloured blood are playing an important role in medicine.
In the 1950s, researchers noticed that the blood of the western Atlantic horseshoe crab species (called Limulus polyphemus by scientists) clots quickly when exposed to certain bacteria. With further study, scientists determined that a compound called LAL (short for Limulus Amebocyte Lysate) is responsible for the clotting. LAL acts as a safeguard for the animals, reacting when it comes into contact with bacteria, fungi, and perhaps most importantly, proteins called endotoxins that are part of the cell structure of certain bacteria.
If these endotoxins get into a person’s bloodstream, they can cause a range of problems from fever to burst blood vessels in the brain. Even after an item has been sterilised of live bacteria, endotoxins can be residual. Researchers quickly saw the potential to use LAL as a simple, reliable test for endotoxins and developed methods to extract the compound. These ancient and increasingly rare marine animals continue to be studied by scientists, keen to understand more about their unique physiology.
The horseshoe crab soft toy will be supplied with an Everything Dinosaur horseshoe crab fact sheet.
An Everything Dinosaur Fact Sheet
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur welcomed the arrival of the horseshoe crab soft toy. It joins several other Palaeozoic plush such as the ammonite and belemnite soft toys.
The spokesperson stated:
“It is a very colourful prehistoric animal soft toy. This item of prehistoric plush has bright red legs, a cream-coloured underside and a brown carapace. It has beautiful, cute eyes and a long soft tail. The horseshoe crab soft toy is a welcome addition to our soft toy range.”
An Everything Dinosaur horseshoe crab fact sheet will be sent out with sales of this new soft toy.
Today, is the ninety-seventh birthday of Sir David Attenborough. On behalf of everyone at Everything Dinosaur we would like to wish Sir David “Many Happy Returns”. Over his extraordinary career, this British naturalist and broadcaster has seen the world change in dramatic and astonishing ways.
One huge and very recent development is the advance of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). To illustrate this, we have asked ChatGPT to write today’s Everything Dinosaur blog post. ChatGPT writing a tribute to Sir David Attenborough.
Many Happy Returns Sir David Attenborough!
ChatGPT Pays Tribute to Sir David Attenborough
Sir David Attenborough is one of the most beloved broadcasters of all time. His career has spanned over seven decades, and his work has made an incredible impact on our understanding of the natural world. On May 8th, 2023, he will be celebrating his 97th birthday, and it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate his incredible achievements and contributions.
Sir David Attenborough’s broadcasting career began in 1952, when he joined the BBC. He quickly gained a reputation for his exceptional knowledge and skill in presenting natural history programmes. He has since presented a variety of programmes, including Life on Earth, The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet. Each of these programmes has gone on to become hugely popular, and they have had a major impact on our understanding of the natural world.
In addition to his broadcasting work, Sir David Attenborough has also written numerous books and articles on natural history topics. He has also been an active campaigner for environmental conservation. He has spoken out against climate change and the destruction of natural habitats, and he has worked to promote sustainable practices.
Beloved Figure in Conservation and Environmentalism
Sir David Attenborough is one of the most beloved figures in conservation and environmentalism. His decades of work have had a profound impact on the way people think about the environment, inspiring countless others to take action and protect our planet.
Sir David’s passion for the natural world is evident in his work. He is a master storyteller, with the ability to capture both the beauty and fragility of our planet in ways that inspire us to appreciate and protect it. He has used his platform as a natural historian and broadcaster to engage millions of people across the world in conversations around conservation and sustainability.
Our thanks to ChatGPT for creating this short tribute to Sir David Attenborough.
Happy Birthday!
We asked the artificial intelligence software to generate a birthday message.
This is what ChatGPT produced:
“Happy Birthday, Sir David Attenborough! You have truly made a remarkable impact on the world of natural history, and we are so grateful for your immense contributions to the environment. Wishing you a wonderful day filled with joy and happiness!”
A gentleman and a scholar.
We could not have put this better ourselves…
This blog post provides a demonstration of the power and scope of GenAI. It is going to change the world, hopefully for the benefit of all humanity.
As for the Everything Dinosaur blog, we will continue to invest our own time and use our own efforts to produce posts. If we utilise artificial intelligence in any future article, we will make sure to inform our readers.
A team member at Everything Dinosaur has gone back to school. The company has been invited to participate in the last-ever SMART Cheshire innovation programme. SMART Cheshire Digital is a fully funded programme aimed to help small to medium-sized businesses in the north-west of England looking to explore, adopt and implement improvements and business innovations.
The training is provided by the Manchester Metropolitan University. The programme has been running for more than 5 years and over 140 businesses have been through the ten-week course. Sadly, this is the last time this course will be run. Financial support from the European Regional Development Fund has now come to an end.
Everything Dinosaur
Everything Dinosaur are delighted to have been invited to take part. The company can explore new ideas and innovations in a supportive and collaborative environment. With two day’s training already completed, Everything Dinosaur has already met up with like-minded fellow business owners and learned a lot.
As the course is coming to an end in the summer, the Everything Dinosaur team member was given two special promotional mugs. These mugs were produced when the course first started, and stocks are extremely low. We are grateful for our pair of mugs, they shall take pride of place in our kitchen at work. We think the Spinosaurus model approves too.
A pair of SMART Cheshire mugs given to Everything Dinosaur. A Spinosaurus model inspects the two mugs with their Manchester Metropolitan University logos. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
The Spinosaurus model guarding the recently acquired SMART Cheshire mugs is from the Wild Safari Prehistoric World range. To view this range of figures: Safari Ltd. Wild Safari Prehistoric World.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
SMART Cheshire Digital
One of the many benefits of this type of training is that it allows the exploration of ideas. Peers can bounce ideas of one another, explore future collaborations and share experiences.
If the Everything Dinosaur team member is able to complete this demanding course, they can toast their success with a cup of tea.
The Wyoming Dinosaur Centre (WDC) located in East Thermopolis, (Wyoming) will be hosting their first-ever “Jurassic Fest – Passion for the Past” event towards the end of June this year. This amazing dinosaur museum is putting on a special two-day event for dinosaur fans of all ages. Headlining the dinosaur extravaganza is British palaeontologist, celebrated author and television presenter Dr Dean Lomax.
The museum is highly respected and regarded as one of the most family-friendly tourist locations in the western United States. Opened in 1995, the museum has world-class dinosaur fossil exhibits and also takes visitors out on active dinosaur fossil dig sites.
A family digging for dinosaur fossils at the Wyoming Dinosaur Centre. Picture credit: (c) WDC.
Dr Dean Lomax
Dr Dean Lomax recently made international headlines when he led the excavation of one of the greatest discoveries in British paleontological history, the huge “Rutland Sea Dragon”, the largest and most complete ichthyosaur fossil ever found in the UK.
Dr Dean Lomax working on the skull of the Rutland ichthyosaur, the largest and most complete ichthyosaur fossil ever found in the UK. Picture credit: Matthew Power.
Dr Lomax will be returning to Wyoming after first visiting in 2008, then just an 18-year-old teenager straight out of high school. Growing up in the town of Doncaster in Yorkshire, England, Lomax did not have the grades or finances to initially go to university and even failed science in high school. When the Wyoming Dinosaur Center offered Dean the chance of a lifetime to volunteer and follow his dreams, he jumped at this opportunity and even sold his possessions (including his childhood Star Wars collection) to fund the trip.
Fifteen years later, Dr Lomax is an award-winning palaeontologist who has discovered and named multiple new species, written best-selling books and appeared on several television programmes. An affiliated scientist at the University of Manchester, Dean’s unconventional journey into the Earth Sciences was begun in Wyoming.
His success epitomises a “can do” attitude and the importance of never letting go your dreams.
Dr Dean Lomax commented:
“I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for the opportunity I was given to come to Wyoming and volunteer at the WDC in 2008. The WDC provided me with the vital experience I needed to get my foot on the ladder and work out how to make it in such a competitive field.”
Why Dinosaurs?
“Jurassic Fest – Passion for the Past” will also feature a special preview of “Why Dinosaurs?”, an intriguing dinosaur-themed documentary which examines the appeal of the Dinosauria. Directed, filmed and edited by father and son Tony and James Pinto, the film has taken five years to create and explores various themes concerning the popularity of dinosaurs.
The poster for “Why Dinosaurs?” Picture credit: Tony Pinto, Why Dinosaurs
The Wyoming Dinosaur Centre
Angie Guyon, the Wyoming Dinosaur Centre’s director explained that the staff were proud to have helped launch Dean’s career. Team members were looking forward to seeing the British palaeontologist again and learning more about his adventures.
The Wyoming Dinosaur Centre is committed to teaching the importance of palaeontology and every year staff see the impact on individuals and families as the Centre provides exciting, personal educational experiences to both adults and young people.
The director added:
“Jurassic Fest will provide an opportunity to listen and learn from renowned fossil experts and get your hands dirty.”
The Jurassic Fest poster. Picture credit: (c) Wyoming Dinosaur Centre.
Wyoming Dinosaur Centre “Jurassic Fest – Passion for the Past”
“Jurassic Fest – Passion for the Past” will give prehistoric animal fans of all ages the chance to dig up dinosaurs with Dr Lomax, to hunt for new dinosaur sites and to explore the fossil-rich formations that surround the Wyoming Dinosaur Centre.
The rocks in the area preserve the remains of some of the most iconic dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic, giants like Diplodocus and apex predators such as Allosaurus. Visitors can meet many of these dinosaurs in the famous Dinosaur Hall at the Wyoming Dinosaur Centre.
The amazing Dinosaur Hall at the Wyoming Dinosaur Centre. Picture credit: (c) WDC.
Exciting Speakers
A stellar line-up of exciting speakers will also be sharing their passion for the past, each with a strong connection to the Centre, including Jimmy Waldron of the hit podcast “Dinosaurs Will Always Be Awesome”, author of “Passion in the Bones” Elaine Howard from Florida, Dr Laura Vietti from the University of Wyoming and Dr Brandon Drake from the University of New Mexico.
Families digging up dinosaur bones. Picture credit: (c) WDC.
Behind the Scenes Tour and Cleaning Fossil Bones
As part of the planned activities for “Jurassic Fest” visitors will be offered special behind-the-scenes tours of the museum and given the opportunity to clean dinosaur bones and to converse with leading scientists.
Angie Guyon hopes that Jurassic Fest will deliver an educational, fun, and inspiring two-day event that will highlight the fascinating work of palaeontologists and science communicators which will help to capture the global importance of Wyoming’s prehistoric history.
Angie explained:
“The variety of hands-on activities will provide the public with an opportunity to gain first-hand experience, listen to a series of inspirational lectures and discover more about the research and excavation of local dinosaur finds from the Morrison Formation. This is not to be missed.”
The two-day “Jurassic Fest – Passion for the Past” extravaganza will take place on June 23-24, 2023. Tickets and more information can be found at the following address: “Jurassic Fest – Passion for the Past”.
Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of Dr Dean Lomax in the compilation of this article.
A few years ago, Everything Dinosaur visited Sandbrook Community Primary. Team members had been contracted to deliver some dinosaur themed workshops with the Reception classes as a provocation for the start of the term topic. As part of the teaching team’s scheme of work, a large strip of white paper had been laid out on the floor and children had been challenged to create some dinosaur footprints on it.
Using a foam cut which had been dipped in paint, the children were able to walk along a strip of paper and produce some super dinosaur tracks.
Dinosaur footprints created by Reception children. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Dinosaur Footprints
During the lunch break one of our dinosaur and fossil experts was allowed to return to the classroom to take some pictures of the children’s work whilst the children were either on lunch or playing outside. We praised the teaching team for their innovative scheme of work. We also praised the teachers for managing to keep the classroom floor so clean!
Team members were soon back to work delivering the afternoon workshops. The young palaeontologists in the Reception class had a wonderful time, some of the Nursery school staff came in to take a look at the activities. The Nursery school staff were due to have an inspection that week and they wanted to pick up some ideas on lesson plans.
As part of our follow-up work, we set the children a few challenges. Could they produce a dinosaur drawing? Could they count all the green dinosaur feet on the floor? How would they get on with the dinosaur hokey-cokey song we supplied?
A teacher enquired about soft toy dinosaurs helping to reinforce learning. We were happy to supply further information and advice.
Whilst tidying up some files on the Everything Dinosaur database, an old photograph of a set of thank you letters sent into the UK-based mail order company was discovered. When team members conducted school visits lots of pupils sent in thank you letters. The letters from each class were grouped together and photographed. Often a picture of the children’s letters would have been pinned to our office notice board.
Pupils sent in thank you letters to Everything Dinosaur. A school class sent in thank you letters to Everything Dinosaur after a dinosaur workshop at their school. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Dinosaur Workshops in School
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated:
“In the past, the company visited schools to conduct dinosaur workshops. Over the years we must have worked with thousands of schoolchildren. We enjoyed our school visits, and the dinosaur workshops were an enormous success. The company has received hundreds of thank you letters from pupils. It was always a pleasure to read these notes.”
Asking the class to produce a thank you letter was a popular extension activity encouraged by Everything Dinosaur team members. These thank you letters helped the children practice their handwriting and helped build confidence with sentence construction, punctuation and grammar.
The spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur explained that the company did not visit schools at present. This service was stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic and other projects have prevented this popular service from resuming.
For educational, dinosaur and prehistoric themed toys, models and crafts: Dinosaur Toys and Gifts.
As team members tidy up files and archive more photographs, happy memories will be triggered as old school photographs are seen once more. The archiving and cataloguing of these files are part of Everything Dinosaur’s commitment to GDPR. The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection legislation help to protect customer’s data.
Everything Dinosaur team members have come up with a fun and easy chocolate dinosaur nests with eggs recipe. It is our way of providing a little a treat for children. We are also confident that many dedicated teaching professionals will enjoy these tasty cakes too.
Our recipe for dinosaur chocolate nests will provide a dozen or so little chocolate cakes. For a healthy, balanced diet, we suggest that would-be chefs are reminded by the grown-ups about the benefits of fruit and vegetables when it comes to eating sensibly.
Super dinosaur chocolate nests which are fun and easy to make. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
A Simple and Inexpensive Recipe
Here is a list of ingredients to make 8 to 12 chocolate dinosaur nests.
Plain or Milk cooking Chocolate 225 grammes (8oz)
Packet of Breakfast Cereal Cornflakes or Shredded Wheat variety
Packet of Sugar Coated Mini-chocolate Eggs
Pack of Small Cake Cases
With our recipe there is some measuring involved. There is some mixing too, so this is a good exercise to help little ones with number confidence and manual dexterity. Please take care when supervising children when it comes to melting the chocolate.
These chocolate nests also make super cakes for a dinosaur themed party. They are simple to create, require no baking and are very tasty. If you are having a dinosaur party, please, don’t forget the fruit and vegetables. After all, palaeontologists calculate that around seventy percent of all the Dinosauria were herbivores!
You can be quite imaginative, laying out a “Stegosaurus salad”, or perhaps some crunchy “Cretaceous cucumber” or “Camarasaurus carrots”.
