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Abelisaurus Skull Sculpture
Cost: $180 (+ shipping)
Description:
Abelisaurus was a medium-sized theropod (a two-legged meat-eater) with big jaws full of sharp serrated teeth. Very little of this dinosaur has been found - only a few pieces of the skull. This is enough for scientists to realize that it is a new type of dinosaur that, in some ways, looked like Tyrannosaurus rex. This dinosaur genus, Abelisauridae, is based on only a few skull fragments found in 1985 in Argentina. It seems to have some superficial resemblance to the head of T. rex.
Age: Cretaceous
Discovered: Argentina
Size: (Scale 1:9) 3.5in/9cm
Item#: abelisaurus-skull-mg08-va
Allosaurus Fragilis Skull
Age: Upper Jurassic
Discovered: Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry, Utah
Note: One of the most
popular and well known dinosaurs, Allosaurus was the most
ferocious meat-eater of the Jurassic. It was the first of the
really big meat-eaters which had huge heads filled with lots of
sharp teeth. It could run very fast, close to 40 mph, and had
very strong arms and long, sharp, curved claws on its hands. One
of its hand claws was more than one foot long! Allosaurus lived
among some of the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the earth and
it is likely that it hunted some of smaller members of these
families. Even the smaller members would have been huge, and
this required Allosaurus to have great strength. Allosaurus is
the namesake of the very successful allosaurid family of
dinosaurs. This family includes what may be the very largest
carnivore, the Giganotosaurus, and other creatures such as the
Acrocanthosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus. Its more distant
relatives are the raptors and tyrannosaurs of the late
Cretaceous. Allosaurus had relatively small teeth for such a
large dinosaur, especially when compared to later big
carnivores. It probably had a weak bite compared to its size,
but its mouth could open very wide. Allosaurus most likely used
its very heavily muscled arms with its huge claws as potent
weapons in bringing down and holding its prey. It also was close
to having true stereo vision - its big eyes had some forward
vision that would have allowed for a degree of depth perception.
There is a great deal known about this dinosaur's life style.
Footprint evidence indicates it hunted in groups and that it
cared for its young in large nests. It inhabited floodplains,
meadows and some forests.
Archaeopteryx Skull Sculpture
Cost: $110
(+ shipping)
Description:
The Archaeopteryx fossil is considered to be one of the most
important ever discovered. Archaeopteryx is considered by many
to be the link between dinosaurs and birds. It had teeth and
claws, but it also had feathers and wings. There are many
questions about this animal that still have not been answered.
Did it fly or could it only glide? Some think it used its wings
to help it jump higher rather than actually fly. Archaeopteryx
was first discovered in 1860 in Bavarian lithographic limestone
quarries. Since that time, only five other specimens have been
uncovered, with the best specimens being at the Humboldt Museum
in Berlin and the British Museum. Archaeopteryx is widely
thought of as the first bird. It looked very similar to some
modern birds, and several of the specimens clearly show what
appear to be true feathers. Upon closer examination, however,
scientists have found some striking differences between
Archeopteryx and modern birds. Archaeopteryx had a long, stiff,
bony tail, unlike modern birds. Each wing had two separate
fingers on the leading wing edges that were equipped with sharp,
curved claws. The biggest differences, however, are in the
skull. It didn't have a beak, but rather a true set of jaws that
were equipped with many small, sharp teeth. Internally, there
were also many differences in the structure of the hipbones, and
Archaeopteryx didn't have a breastbone.
Age: Jurassic
Discovered: Solnhofen,Germany
Size: (Scale 1:1) 2"
Item#: skull-archaeopteryx-sh-17-va
Archeotherium Skull
Cost: $400
(+ shipping)
Description:
Giant “pig-like” dinosaur from Oligocene period.
Age: Oliogocene
Discovered: White River Formation, South Dakota.
Size: (Scale 1:1) 20x13x11in/51x33x28cm
Item#: archeotherium-skull-s044-va
Avimimus Portentosus Skull Sculpture
Cost: $180
(+ shipping)
Description:
When first discovered, Avimimus was thought to look so much like
a bird that its name literally means that it imitates a bird.
Later discoveries have demonstrated to scientists that while it
was very close to a bird, it was in fact not a bird. There is
recent evidence, however, that suggests that it may have had
feathers. Some scientists believe that the discovery of Chinese
feathered dinosaurs suggests that Avimimus also had feathers.
First discovered by Russian paleontologists in the late 1970's,
Avimimus is known from only three partial skeletons. Avimimus
looked much like a large reptilian roadrunner in life, as it had
long, slender back legs built for fast running. Its front legs
were lightly built and equipped with sharp, curved claws.
Avimimus had a long, lean neck topped by a short skull that was
equipped with a toothless beak. It had a relatively large
braincase. The exact classification for this creature is not
clear. It is often referred to as having an uncertain
classification. Originally placed in its own higher taxon,
Avimimidae, it has also been referred to Arctometatarsalia.
Age: Late Cretaceous
Discovered: Gobi Desert
Size: (Scale) 3in/7.6cm
Item#: avimimus-skull-sh18-va
Camarasaurus Lentis Skull Sculpture
Cost: $370 (+ shipping)
Description:
Camarasaurus
was a very heavily built member of the long-necked sauropod
family of Jurassic dinosaurs. It is very well known by
scientists and recently a family of these large creatures was
discovered in the Western U.S. Camarasaurus is also a part of
one of paleontology's big mistakes when its head was put on the
body of Apatasaurus and called Brontosaurus. Compared to some of
the other sauropods, Camarasaurus had a relatively short neck
and tail. It also had a large head compared to other sauropods,
but the head was almost hollow. The skull openings for the nose
and eyes were very large. This is the most common North American
sauropod found, with more than ten fairly complete skeletons
unearthed to date. At least four species have been identified
within this genus. Camarasaurus gets its name from the hollow
spaces in its neck vertebrae. These would have made the neck
lighter and easier for the dinosaur to lift and move about. This
dinosaur also had the largest teeth among sauropods.
Age: Jurassic
Weight: 13 oz.
Size: (Scale) 7.6in / 19.3 cm
Item#: camarasaurus-skull-mg03-va
Carnotosaurus Skull Sculpture
Description:
Carnotaurus was a South American, meat-eating dinosaur that had
two short horns above its eyes. The horns were probably used
more to impress females than for fighting. Another unusual
feature was that it had very small arms, probably the tiniest of
any of the larger meat-eaters. Discovered fairly recently
(1985), this fossil was very complete and included the best
theropod skin impressions ever found. The skin showed many small
cone-shaped nodules, each about two inches (5 cm) across,
regularly spaced over its body. Carnotaurus had a short snout
for a larger theropod. Its skull measured only 22 inches. Its
arms were so small that it almost appears that the hands
sprouted right from its body.
Age: Early Cretaceous
Discovered: Patagonia, Argentina
Chasmosaur Belli skull (Un-mounted)
Cost: $2600
(+ shipping)
Description: From the long-frilled ceratopsid dinosaur
Age: Cretaceous
Discovered: South Dakota
Size: 84in/2.1m, length. 46in/1.2m top width
Item#: chasmosaur-belli-skull-s102-va
Cyclotosaurus skull
Cost: $90
(+ shipping)
Description: Amphibian of Late Triassic
Age: Triassic
Discovered: Arizona
Size: 16x11x3 in
Item#: cyclotosaurus-skull-s012-va
Deinonychus Skull Sculpture
Cost: $350
(+ shipping)
Description:
Deinonychus was a fast and vicious hunter. Its name means
"terrible claw," and it was given this name because of the
large, retractable hunting claw on each of its feet. Like its
cousin, the Velociraptor, it used this claw to tear into the
flesh of the dinosaurs it hunted. The claw would snap forward
and make a large, deep wound when it attacked. Deinonychus was
about twice as big as Velociraptor. Deinonychus is probably the
best known of the dromeasaurids, with nine specimens having been
discovered since the genus was established in 1962 by John
Ostrum. An interesting feature about this dinosaur is that its
teeth are more backward pointing than other, larger theropods,
suggesting that they are designed for feeding and not for the
killing of prey. This points to the effectiveness of its hand
and foot claws as weapons. Its skeletal design, according to
Ostrum, clearly points to a very active predatory lifestyle - a
hunter with both speed and agility. Its hands were very large
and had a great range of movement and flexibility. As the
dinosaur grew, long tendons along its tail hardened into a
bone-like material to stiffen it and make it a useful mechanism
for maintaining balance and direction in quick turns. A few
scientists have argued that Deinonychus is a North American
species of Velociraptor and does not merit its own genus. Recent
research and discoveries by scientists such as Dr. Philip Currie
are showing that some dinosaurs similar to Deinonychus most
likely had feather-like coverings on all or part of their
bodies. These proto-feathers were most likely used for
insulation, display, or both, and may eventually have evolved
into flight feathers. To date, these have not been found on
Deinonychus.
Age: Cretaceous
Discovered: Western U.S.
Size: (Scale 1:1) 12"
Item#: deinonychus-skull-sh13-va
Dimetrodon Limbatus Skull
Age: Permian
Discovered: Utah
Note:
Dimetrodon is commonly mistaken for a dinosaur, but it was in
fact NOT a dinosaur at all. It was one of a number of animals
known as Mammal-Like Reptiles that dominated the late Permian
period. It was a large meat-eater that lived primarily in swampy
areas and had a very interesting feature - a large sail on its
back. Dimetrodon disappeared at the beginning of the Triassic
Period. Unlike other pelycosaurs that did not have fins,
Dimetrodon was able it to warm up in the morning and cool off
more efficiently during the heat of the day due to its sail.
This method of controlling its body temperature, along with its
large and powerful jaws, gave this predator a distinct advantage
over the other large carnivores, making it the dominant land
predator. In fact, its ability to warm up faster would have
enabled it to catch and eat the slower, non-finned Mammal-Like
Reptiles. Dimetrodon is easily distinguished from dinosaurs as
its legs were positioned on the side of its body while dinosaurs
had their legs under their bodies. Even with this body
structure, it was probably a very fast runner. It had a large
head with very strong jaws and two types of teeth -sharp
fang-like teeth for ripping and tearing in the front and smaller
cheek teeth in the back that were designed for shredding the
meat.
Discovered: Texas
Edmontosaurus Skull (Profile Plaque)
Cost: $850 (+ shipping)
Description:
Edmontosaurus
was possibly the largest of the duck-billed hadrosaurs. It was a
little bigger than a T. rex and was probably a food source for
the large meat-eater. It walked on all four legs much of the
time, but it could also stand easily on its hind legs, as they
were much larger than its front legs. Edmontosaurus had on
average over 500 teeth and some had over 1,000! These were all
jammed together in what is called a dental battery. This
dinosaur could really chew up the tough plants on which it fed.
Edmontosaurus was originally described as Anatosaurus; for many
years the species annectens was attributed to the genus
Anatosaurus. Now both Anatosaurus and Claosaurus are known as
Edmontosaurus. Hadrosaurs were among the most common herbivores
of the late Cretaceous. Like other hadrosaurs, it had a beak
that was covered with a horny sheath. Excellent mummified
specimens of these dinosaurs have been found, adding a great
deal to the knowledge of dinosaur skin and musculature. When
first discovered, many researchers thought these dinosaurs would
have lived in the water due to the shape of their heads and the
fact that one mummified specimen seemed to have webbing on its
front feet. Later research has shown, however, that these
creatures lived primarily on coastal plains, floodplains and
river deltas. Their dental structure also supports a more
terrestrial lifestyle, as was perfectly suited for plants that
were found in forests near water, and not those that were found
in the water. Another interesting Edmontosaurus feature is that
the skin seemed to consist, at least partly, of horny plates -
good defense against glancing bites and blows from predators.
Age: Cretaceous
Discovered: Alberta, Canada
Size: (Scale 1:1) 46x24in/120x60cm
Item#: edmontosaurus-skull-s036-va
Eoraptor Lumensis Skull Sculpture
Cost: $180
(+ shipping)
Description:
Eoraptor is one of the earliest dinosaurs ever discovered. That
means that this small dinosaur was one of the first to ever walk
on Earth, and its success as a hunter helped determine what
other dinosaurs would look like. Although it was small, it was a
fierce predator. Its speed and intelligence are some of the
reasons that dinosaurs replaced other animals as the dominant
land creatures. Discovered in 1993 in the Ischigualasto Basin in
northwestern Argentina, the small skull was found in a single
rock. Unlike most dinosaur discoveries, and to the delight of
the team that found this important creature (Paul Sereno,
Fernando Novas, and their team), an almost complete skeleton was
found. This single creature has greatly increased scientists'
knowledge of how dinosaurs developed and evolved. There are so
few dinosaurs known from this time period that finding a
complete skeleton of such an early member of the dinosaur family
is a big help in expanding our knowledge of the early dinosaurs.
Eoraptor had the characteristics of later dinosaurs - serrated
teeth, grasping hands (although there is some speculation that
it occasionally walked using all four limbs), light hollow bones
and a strong, light skull. Although it lived at the same time as
the larger Herrerasaurus (which may have eaten Eoraptor), it has
some significant differences. Some of its teeth were shaped
differently and the bones in its hands were more primitive.
Later dinosaurs tended to lose fingers, and by the time T. rex
came onto the scene, it had only two fingers. Eoraptor had five.
Even Herrerasaurus, which had five fingers, had a less useful
fifth finger.
Discovered: Argentina
Size: (Scale) 4in/ 10cm
Item#: eoraptor-skull-va
Eryops Megacephalus Skull
Cost: $540
(+ shipping)
Description:
Eryops was a common, primitive amphibian that lived in swamps
during the Permian period. This meat-eater had a stout body with
very wide ribs, a strong spine, four short, strong legs, a short
tail, and a wide, elongated skull with many sharp teeth in
strong jaws. Its teeth had enamel with a folded pattern. Eryops
was about 5 feet (1.5 m) long, one of the largest land animals
of its time. Eryops may have been slow moving on land, but was
perhaps faster in the water. Some scientists have suggested that
Eryops may not have been able to run. Eryops was a swamp
dweller. Like all amphibians, Eryops had to live near the water
since amphibian eggs have no shells and must be laid in the
water (or in very damp areas) or they will dry out and die.
Also, it lost its gills as an adult.
Age: Lower Permian
Discovered: Wichita Basin, Texas
Size: (Scale 1:1)
Item#: eryops-skull-s055-va
Gasporinisaura Cincosaltensis Skull Sculpture
Cost: $180
(+ shipping)
Description:
Gasparinisaura, a small member of the family of dinosaurs that
included Iguanodon, was discovered in Argentina. Not very much
of this dinosaur has been found, so scientists still aren't sure
what it looked like. Members of this family are among the most
common of all dinosaurs found, and its discovery in South
America shows that the family spread through the entire Mesozoic
world. It has also been suggested that Gasparinisaura may have
had feathers.
Age: Late Jurassic
Discovered: Argentina
Size: (Scale 1:1) 3"/ 7cm
Item#: gasparinisaurus-skull-mg10-va
Giganotosarus Skull Sculpture
Cost: $300
(+ shipping)
Description:
Giganotosaurus was one big meat-eater! It may have been the
biggest one of all, even bigger than T. rex. It lived in South
America at a time when there were still large sauropods for it
to eat. It had a very strong body and a mouth full of teeth like
steak knives. Just its head alone was almost 6 feet (2 m) long!
A recent discovery in Argentina suggests that Giganotosaurus may
have been as large as 46 feet (15 m). What is interesting is
that there is another dinosaur found in North Africa, called
Carcharodontosaurus that is almost identical - in fact, it may
be the same genus. Since South America and Africa were still
connected back then, it is possible they are very close
relations. Like T. rex, this dinosaur hunted in warm and swampy
areas. Some of the sauropods of that time had armor on their
backs in order to protect them from an attack from above and
that kind of attack could only have come from a predator as
large as Giganotosaurus.
Age: Cretaceous
Discovered: Patagonia, Argentina
Size: (Scale 1:9) 8.25"/21cm
)
Item#:skull-giganotosaurus-d-mg01-va
Gorgonospid Skull
Cost: $240
(+ shipping)
Description: Broomisaurus Laticeps.
Gorgonopsids were the wolves of the Permian, hunting other
synapsids, such as dicynodonts. Gorgonopsids are most common in
the Permian rocks of Africa.
Age: Permian
Discovered: South Africa
Size: 16x15 in/ 41x36 cm
Item#:skull-gorgonospid-s016-va
Hadrokkosaurus Skull
Cost: $90
(+ shipping)
Description: Radii Welles. Amphibian of Late Triassic
Age: Triassic
Discovered: Arizona
Size: 12x15 in
Item#:skull-hadrokkosaurus-s017-va
Herrerasaurus Skull Sculpture
Cost: $340
(+ shipping)
Description:
The Herrerasaurus is one of the oldest dinosaurs ever found. It
is close to 230 million years old! It is one of three dinosaurs
found in South America that represent the earliest form of
meat-eating dinosaurs. It was a fast, ferocious hunter and it
set the stage for large predatory dinosaurs to become the most
dominant animals on earth for more than 150 million years. One
of the main types of creatures upon which Herrerasaurus would
have fed were the mammal-like reptiles. For many millions of
years the mammal-like reptiles were the dominant land creatures
until dinosaurs appeared on the scene. They were slower and less
adaptable than the dinosaurs and could not survive the
competition. Herrerasaurus would have also eaten lizards,
amphibians and possibly some of the large insects that lived in
the Triassic. Herrerasaurus, being an early dinosaur, seems to
have had some characteristics that confuse scientists trying to
find its place in dinosaur evolution. It shows traits that show
up in much later Jurassic dinosaurs and traits that are found in
different classifications of dinosaurs, making it difficult to
fit it into a specific family tree. Its teeth are more conical
in shape than later or contemporary dinosaurs, and they have
serrations like most of the later carnivorous dinosaurs. It also
appears that the Herrerasaurus jaw was somewhat flexible in
order to fit more firmly around its prey and prevent it from
escaping. Its arms show proportions more similar to later
predatory dinosaurs in that they were much shorter than its hind
limbs and clearly designed for prey capture. It is estimated
that Herrerasaurus could have reached lengths of up to 15 feet
(4.5 m), making it as large as dinosaurs that did not come along
until well into the Jurassic.
Age: Triassic
Discovered: North West, Argentina
Size: (Scale 1:1) 12in/30cm.
Item#: skull-herrerasaurus-mg05-va
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