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3 04, 2024

Anthropocene Epoch Rejected as a Unit of Geological Time

By Mike|2024-04-03T08:55:26+01:00April 3rd, 2024|Educational Activities, Geology, Main Page, Photos|0 Comments

The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) has voted to reject the Anthropocene Epoch as a unit of geological time. Plans to introduce a new geological epoch based on the influence of humans on our planet have been shelved at a meeting of the IUGS.

Last month, a vote was held about the proposal to add the Anthropocene to the chronostratigraphic chart outlining the age of the Earth. This vote, undertaken by members of the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS) led to a rejection of the proposal. This committee’s decision has now been endorsed by the IUGS.

The influence of mankind on our planet - the Anthropocene Epoch.

The idea of naming a new geological epoch to mark the influence of mankind on the planet has been rejected. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG)

In 2001 the atmospheric chemist, Paul Crutzen, proposed that the activity of mankind was impacting natural environmental conditions to the extent that we had effectively left the natural stable
conditions of the Holocene Epoch and moved into a new interval that he named the Anthropocene. A committee was established in 2009 to examine this idea. It was named the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG). Their brief was to examine the evidence for human induced climate change as reflected in the geological record, and to determine whether a new geological epoch was justified.

The Anthropocene Epoch Rejected – The Full Statement

A statement was released by the IUGS:

“It is with the delegated authority of the IUGS President and Secretary General and on behalf of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) that the vote by the ICS Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS) to reject the proposal for an Anthropocene Epoch as a formal unit of the Geologic Time Scale is approved.”

Although the Anthropocene Epoch will not be appearing in textbooks anytime soon, these findings could be reviewed in a decade or so. However, the IUGS did recognise the significance of this debate and highlighted the importance of recognising the impact of Homo sapiens on planet Earth.

The lengthy statement included the following:

“Despite its rejection as a formal unit of the Geologic Time Scale, Anthropocene will nevertheless continue to be used not only by Earth and environmental scientists, but also by social scientists, politicians and economists, as well as by the public at large. It will remain an invaluable descriptor of human impact on the Earth system.”

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

30 03, 2024

CollectA Prehistoric Life Ampelosaurus Features in Science News Story

By Mike|2024-03-27T08:49:08+00:00March 30th, 2024|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Photos|0 Comments

A new species of Late Jurassic iguanodontian was recently announced. Hesperonyx martinhotomasorum from the Lourinhã Formation of western Portugal demonstrates that this part of Europe was home to a highly diverse dinosaur dominated ecosystem. Everything Dinosaur corresponded with the scientific paper’s lead author Filippo Maria Rotatori (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa) so that we could obtain the media release about this exciting dinosaur discovery. We spotted a CollectA Prehistoric Life Ampelosaurus in one of the photographs submitted.

One of the paper’s co-authors and the supervisor of Filippo, Miguel Moreno-Azanza was photographed with a titanosaur egg fossil and a CollectA Ampelosaurus figure.

Hesperonyx martinhotomasorum paper co-author Miguel Moreno-Azanza, from Zaragoza University

Miguel Moreno-Azanza, from Zaragoza University, co-author of the Hesperonyx scientific paper with a titanosaur egg fossil and an Ampelosaurus model. The CollectA Prehistoric Life Ampelosaurus features in this image. Picture credit: Universidade NOVA de Lisboa.

The CollectA Prehistoric Life Ampelosaurus

Postdoctoral Fellow Miguel Moreno-Azanza is an authority on fossilised eggs and fossil eggshells. A photograph submitted with the Hesperonyx media release includes the CollectA Prehistoric Life Ampelosaurus and a specimen of a titanosaur egg. Team members presume the CollectA model was included in the image to demonstrate what a titanosaur looks like. When visiting preparation laboratories and museums we do tend to see lots of prehistoric animal models including figures from the CollectA Prehistoric Life range.

The CollectA Prehistoric Life Ampelosaurus model was introduced in 2012.

The CollectA Ampelosaurus figure was introduced in 2012. It was designed by Anthony Beeson. This titanosauria sauropod was formally named and described in 1995 (Ampelosaurus atacis). Fossils come from outcrops of the lower levels of the Marnes Rouges Inférieures Formation in the French Pyrenees. Ampelosaurus is estimated to have measured around fourteen to sixteen metres in length. It may have weighed fifteen tonnes. Although much larger than any extant terrestrial animal, Ampelosaurus was relatively small compared to other Late Cretaceous titanosaurs.

During the Late Cretaceous sea levels were extremely high. Much of the European landmass was submerged. Ampelosaurus lived on the Ibero-Armorican island, a large island made up of southern France and the Iberian Peninsula. Ampelosaurus fossil material is associated with the early Maastrichtian faunal stage of the Late Cretaceous. It lived approximately 71-70 million years ago. The genus name translates as “vine lizard”. Some of the first fossils to be studied were discovered close to the Blanquette de Limoux vineyard. This part of the French Pyrenees is renowned for its fine sparkling wine.

To view the range of CollectA Prehistoric Life figures in stock at Everything Dinosaur: CollectA Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

A typical European titanosaur (Ampelosaurus atacis) from the Late Cretaceous. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Spotting the Ampelosaurus Model

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that many academics, palaeontologists and scientists source their models from Everything Dinosaur. Many collect figures including the CollectA Prehistoric Life model range. However, these models are also used in science communication projects.

The spokesperson added:

“When discussing titanosaur eggs and other titanosaur fossil material it is helpful to have a titanosaur dinosaur model on hand. Members of the public can get an impression of what the dinosaur looked like.”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: The Everything Dinosaur Website.

To read the article about the discovery of the new European iguanodontian dinosaur: A New Iguanodontian Dinosaur from Western Portugal.

What other prehistoric animal models will be spot in future media releases?

3 03, 2024

Thirteen Batches of Frogspawn in the Office Pond

By Mike|2024-03-02T21:35:49+00:00March 3rd, 2024|Adobe CS5, Animal News Stories, Educational Activities, Main Page, Photos|0 Comments

Common frogs (Rana temporaria) began breeding in the office pond very early this year. The first batch of frogspawn was observed on the morning of Saturday, the 18th of February. Frog activity had been observed in the pond a few days earlier. The spawning season has stared early, perhaps because of the mild, wet weather. February the 18th is the earliest date in the year that we have recorded frogspawn. Last year (2023), the first frogspawn was recorded on the 28th of February. This was the first time that we had recorded frogs spawning in February.

We estimate that by this weekend, a total of thirteen batches of frogspawn had been laid. The number of frogs seen in the pond has rarely exceeded four or five. However, other frogs must be visiting the pond and breeding during the night or in the early morning.

Frogspawn in the office pond recorded on the 2nd March (2024). — *A large amount of frogspawn observed in the office pond on the morning of the 2nd of March (2024). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Record Amount of Frogspawn

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Although we cannot be certain, there could be a record amount of frogspawn in the office pond. We think there are thirteen batches in total. All the eggs were laid in a shallow part of the pond.”

Hopefully, the sudden cold snap with overnight frosts will not have harmed the eggs. We are looking forward to watching the tadpoles hatch.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

18 02, 2024

Frogspawn Discovered in the Office Pond

By Mike|2024-02-18T21:22:20+00:00February 18th, 2024|Animal News Stories, Educational Activities, Main Page, Photos|0 Comments

We have frogspawn in the office pond. Today, a clump of frogspawn was observed in a shallow area of the office pond. Frogs had been spotted in the pond a few days ago, it seems that the spawning season has started. This is the earliest date in the year that we have recorded frogspawn. Last year (2023), the first frogspawn was recorded on the 28th of February. This was the first time that the frogs have spawned in February. This year, the frogs have begun spawning even earlier.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Common Frogs (Rana temporaria)

The spawn was produced by Common frogs (Rana temporaria). Observations by team members suggest that there were four frogs in the pond. The pond has been created to attract wildlife and frogs have laid their eggs in the pond each spring since 2008. For many years the frogs spawned around the third week of March. However, there is a distinct trend for recording spawning much earlier in the year.

Could this be a consequence of global warming and climate change?

It has certainly been very mild over the last week or two. Temperatures of 13-14 degrees Celsius have been recorded in the northwest of England. The average temperature for February in the Manchester area of England would normally be expected to be around 4-7 degrees Celsius.

A close-up view of the frogspawn (18th February, 2024). — *A close-up view of the frogspawn laid early in the morning of 18th February.* *Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Frogspawn Laid in a Shallow Part of the Pond

The frogs have laid their eggs in a shallow part of the pond. Eggs are not normally laid in this part of the office pond. Folklore suggests that if frogs lay in the shallows, then the next few weeks will be mild but wet. We will continue to observe the pond to see if more frogs arrive and more spawn is produced.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

9 02, 2024

A Delightful Deinonychus Duo on Display at a Museum

By Mike|2024-02-18T16:43:45+00:00February 9th, 2024|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos|1 Comment

Team members at Everything Dinosaur took the opportunity to photograph the life-size Deinonychus replicas on display at the London Natural History Museum. These animated figures can be found in the Blue Zone of the Museum.

Visiting Deinonychus

Team members are not sure when the duo were installed in the Dinosaurs Gallery, but we estimate that these life-size replicas have been at the Museum for more than a decade.

Life-size Deinonychus replicas on display. — *Life-size Deinonychus replicas on display at the London Natural History Museum. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Animated Deinonychus Dinosaur Models

The robotic armature permits these figures to move. The models can lift their heads, open their jaws and make a bow-like gesture to visitors. There is audio too. The Deinonychus replicas make a hissing sound. It reminds us of the sound a cat makes when it is frightened or being threatened.

The new for 2020 the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Deinonychus dinosaur model. — *New for 2020 the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Deinonychus dinosaur model. A replica of this large dromaeosaurid.*

The picture (above) illustrates Deinonychus. This model is from the Wild Safari Prehistoric World range of replicas.

To view this range: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models at Everything Dinosaur.

Looking Out for the Animatronic Dinosaurs

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“There are lots of amazing exhibits at the London Natural History Museum. However, we always like to say hello to the pair of Deinonychus figures. A visit is not complete until we have spent a little time in their company.”

On the subject of a visit, take a look at the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website.

An award-winning and user-friendly dinosaur themed website: Everything Dinosaur.

29 01, 2024

A Spectacular Nile Crocodile Skeleton on Display

By Mike|2024-02-18T17:29:52+00:00January 29th, 2024|Adobe CS5, Animal News Stories, Main Page, Photos|0 Comments

Team members at Everything Dinosaur photographed a spectacular Nile crocodile skeleton. The skeleton is on display at the London Natural History Museum. Recently, Everything Dinosaur wrote a short blog post about the reptile exhibit at the Museum.

Nile crocodile skeleton on display. — *The skeleton of a Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) on display at the London Natural History Museum. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To read Everything Dinosaur’s earlier crocodilian post: A Fascinating Nile Crocodile Exhibit.

The Nile Crocodile Skeleton

As male Nile crocodiles tend to be much bigger than the females, we suspect the skeleton represents a male. The Nile crocodile skeleton could have come from a crocodile farm. Perhaps the skeleton came from a zoo. It is part of an exhibit that looks at extant reptiles. The exhibit also includes a large, stuffed Nile crocodile specimen.

Nile crocodile specimen. — *A stuffed Nile crocodile on display. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated:

“This large exhibit permits visitors to get a really good look at the skeleton of a large crocodile. The exhibit includes examples of crocodile stomach contents. The skeleton is impressive, although this reptile is dwarfed by the specimens in the Dinosaurs Gallery.”

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

25 01, 2024

Fascinating Nile Crocodile Specimen on Display

By Mike|2024-02-16T10:23:43+00:00January 25th, 2024|Adobe CS5, Animal News Stories, Main Page, Photos, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

Team members at Everything Dinosaur photographed a stunning Nile crocodile specimen on display at the London Natural History Museum. The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is the largest freshwater predator in Africa. Males can grow up to six metres in length and weigh more than a tonne. As such, the Nile crocodile can be considered as the second-biggest extant reptile. Only the Estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is larger.

Nile crocodile on Display — *The head of a stuffed crocodile specimen (Nile crocodile) on display at the London Natural History Museum. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The stuffed crocodile specimen measures more than three metres in length. It is part of an exhibit that highlights the diversity of vertebrates found on Earth today. It is exhibited alongside a Crocodylus niloticus skeleton.

The Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

Phylogenetic analysis has revealed that this African crocodile is more closely related to American crocodiles such as the Orinoco crocodile and the Cuban crocodile than it is to other African crocodile species. Several subspecies of Crocodylus niloticus have been proposed.

crocodile model. — *A model of a crocodile with an articulated lower jaw. The model is based on the African crocodile species Crocodylus niloticus.*

The picture (above) features the Mojo Fun crocodile figure. This detailed model has an articulated jaw.

To view the range of Mojo Fun figures available from Everything Dinosaur: Mojo Fun Models.

A Man-eater

These crocodiles are estimated to kill many hundreds of people each year. The total number of attacks on humans is unknown as many attacks are unreported. Nile crocodiles tend to be much more aggressive than many other crocodilians. However, these crocodiles live in close proximity to human populations throughout most of their range. As contact is more frequent, this may explain why the number of Nile crocodile attacks remains disproportionately high. Most attacks on humans are made by crocodiles that exceed three metres in length. However, smaller crocodiles, animals less than two metres in length are capable of overpowering children.

A number of programmes are in place to help reduce the threat of crocodile attacks, by providing alternative access to water through the construction of wells and safe water gathering places. It is hoped that educating local fishermen about crocodile behaviour can reduce the risk of attack.

Commenting on the museum crocodile exhibit a spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated:

“The exhibit looks at the evolutionary history of vertebrates. The reptile section is particularly interesting with many stuffed specimens on display.”

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

19 01, 2024

Professor Turi King to Lead Prestigious Milner Centre for Evolution

By Mike|2024-01-18T09:53:07+00:00January 19th, 2024|Adobe CS5, Famous Figures, Main Page, Photos|0 Comments

Professor Turi King has been announced as the next Director of the prestigious Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath. The Professor has an impressive curriculum vitae. She is a highly respected geneticist with a distinguished career involving several scientific disciplines. Professor King uses sophisticated and state-of-the-art genetic methods to advance research in fields including forensics, archaeology and history. Her expertise will prove invaluable as research continues into the organic traces associated with fossil material.

Picture credit: Carl Vivian

Professor Turi King

Turi graduated in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and received her MSc and PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Leicester. She played a prominent role in the team of scientists that helped identify the remains of King Richard III. Her research expertise is in ancient forensic biomolecules. However, Professor King is a passionate communicator and has gained a lot of experience working with the media.

Perhaps best described as a polymath, Professor King has presented television programmes, written books and delivered lectures. She is currently Professor of Genetics and Public Engagement at the University of Leicester. Turi will join the University of Bath in April.

When asked about her new role, Professor King commented:

“I am truly excited and honoured to be joining Bath to lead the Milner Centre for Evolution. It is a unique institution and I am delighted to be able to contribute and build on both the excellent research and the public engagement with evolutionary science which are core to the Centre’s mission.”

We would like to wish Professor King every success as she takes up her new appointment.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Bath in the compilation of this article.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

10 01, 2024

New King of the Giant Apes from Nanmu Studio

By Mike|2024-01-11T12:52:20+00:00January 10th, 2024|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Photos, Press Releases|0 Comments

Images of the new Nanmu Studio giant ape model has been released. The latest figure is “King of the Giant Apes”, the ape is entitled “Fury”. This is a limited-edition, polymer resin model. The giant ape figure includes a stunning display base.

“King of the Giant Apes”

The model plays homage to the famous movie gorilla “King Kong”. Numerous films and franchises have been developed since the original RKO Pictures film was released in 1933. The creation of the character is credited to the American Merian Caldwell Cooper who produced and directed the film. The stop-motion animation was undertaken by special effects pioneer Willis H. O’Brien.

To view the current range of Nanmu Studio figures available: Nanmu Studio Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

The figure bears the scars of many fights with other monstrous animals. It is depicted roaring and throwing a punch.

Tale of the Tape – Model Measurements

The “King of the Giant Apes” is in the Nanmu Studio limited-edition “Dragon Soul” series. Only five hundred figures are being commissioned. The model on its display base stands around 23 cm high (9 inches). The box dimensions for the figure are 31 x 15.2 x 32 cm.

Only five hundred figures are being produced.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that if the documentation and paperwork for export get sorted, then these figures should be in stock in the spring (2023).

To contact Everything Dinosaur about the “King of the Giant Apes” figure: Email Everything Dinosaur.

Nanmu Studio King of the Giant Apes. — *The new for 2024 Nanmu Studio King of the Giant Apes figure complete with display stand. A new resident of Skull Island perhaps?*

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

2 01, 2024

Excellent Packing of a Royal Mail Van

By Mike|2024-01-03T14:13:56+00:00January 2nd, 2024|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Photos, Press Releases|0 Comments

Everything Dinosaur has built up a formidable reputation for its customer service. Our dedication is not limited to the packing of orders for customers, it extends to helping the couriers and other delivery partners that collect from our warehouse. Royal Mail sent a slightly smaller van than usual to our premises. Undaunted we worked with the driver to ensure all the parcels could be sent out. Thanks to our excellent packing we were able to squeeze in all the sacks and individual boxes.

Excellent packing by Everything Dinosaur. — *Orders from Everything Dinosaur ready for despatch. Excellent packing permits all the orders from that day to be loaded into a single van. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Excellent Packing and Helping Out

Despite the heavy rain, team members were able to assist the van driver and get all the parcels safely loaded into the vehicle. Royal Mail takes care of the majority of our UK domestic deliveries. Most of the parcels in the photograph are being sent out by first class parcel post.

Royal Mail and Everything Dinosaur — Royal Mail usually send out a large van to collect all the parcels from Everything Dinosaur’s warehouse. Due to a lack of vehicles sometimes hired vans are used to collect our parcels. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur explained that team members liked to assist drivers collecting parcels from the warehouse. Indeed, sometimes the volume of parcels that were being collected leads to us helping to pack the vehicle so that all the orders can be despatched.

The spokesperson added:

“We appreciate how hard these drivers work. Customer orders are made ready for despatch in plenty of time for their collection at the allotted time. We often help to pack the sacks of orders into Royal Mail vehicles. Thankfully, most of our parcels are square or rectangular in shape, and this does make filling the vans a little easier. Still, it takes quite a lot of effort to get all the parcels in and away.”

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.