Lego Albertaceratops

From the Edmonton Journal:

Lego brick-master Robin Sather was commissioned by the Telus World of Science to build the Albertaceratops head for its feature exhibit, Lost Worlds: From Dinosaurs to Ancient Civilizations.

Paleontologists think the creature was an evolutionary middle-step or intermediate between older, larger-horned dinosaurs and their small-horned descendants. "I've tried to incorporate that into the design," Sather said.

With help from Ryan and the Royal Tyrrell Museum, Sather spent about two months researching and perfecting his Albertaceratops design.

The head is about two-and-a-half metres high and more than a metre-and-a-half wide, both from side to side and front to back. He is one of only a handful of Lego Certified Professionals worldwide, adult hobbyists who have a formal working relationship with Lego but are not employed by the company.

When the dinosaur exhibit ends in September, children will be invited to dismantle Sather's Lego creation, rendering the Albertaceratops once again extinct.

The Telus World of Science Lost Worlds exhibit -- developed in co-operation with the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology -- opened on Saturday and runs until Sept. 3. It is designed to explore events that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs and the downfall of several ancient civilizations.

The paleontologist who discovered the Albertaceratops (me!) will give a presentation at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Telus World of Science.

Albertaceratops, New Horned Dino

A New Basal Centrosaurine Ceratopsid From the Oldman Formation, SE Alberta. 2007. J. Paleo. 81: 376-396.

© 2007 Michael Skrepnick.

Abstract: A new centrosaurine ceratopsid, Albertaceratops nesmoi, is described from the lower Oldman Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of southern Alberta, and is based on a single, almost complete skull. Referred material is described from equivalent beds in the Judith River Formation of north-central Montana. A limited phylogenetic analysis of the Ceratopsidae places the new taxon as the basal member of the Centrosaurinae and indicates that robust, elongate postorbital horncores that form a synapomorphy of (Ceratopsidae + Zuniceratops) are also present in Centrosaurinae.

Press release and more images over at the Southern Alberta Dinosaur Research Group site.

Visit Mike Skrepnick’s web site: Dinosaurs in Art.

Dinosaurs Alive! In Edmonton

The Edmonton ‘Telus World of Science’ (aka the Space Sciences Center when I lived there many moons ago) has a summer long celebration of Dinosaurs with activities for the whole family. In addition to the exhibits and the IMAX film “Dinosaurs Alive!”, there will be a series of special lectures and events, such as:

June 16, 2pm: Dr. Philip Currie talks on “Hunting Dinosaurs in the Gobi Desert”

June 16&17: “Brick Master” Robin Sather builds an Albertaceratops out of Lego(!)

June 23, 2pm: I talk about Albertan ceratopsians & bone beds

Xenoceratops - A New Centrosaur From Alberta

Art © Mark Schultz, 2012

Abstract: Xenoceratops foremostensis gen. et. sp. nov., a new centrosaurine ceratopsid from the Foremost Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, is described based on frill material from at least three adult-sized individuals collected from a low-density bone bed. The material can be assigned to Centrosaurinae based on features of the preserved squamosal. Although the parietals are incomplete, the shape of the diagnostic parietal can be inferred from several overlapping serial elements. The parietal of the new taxon shares with all other centrosaurines, except Centrosaurus apertus, spike-like ornamentation at the posterolateral (P3) locus under traditional coding methods. At approximately 78 Ma, it is the oldest known Canadian ceratopsid, approximately 0.5 Ma older than Albertaceratops from the lower Oldman Formation of Canada and approximately 1.0 Ma younger than Diabloceratops from the Wahweap Formation of Utah. A phylogenetic analysis resolves the new taxon as the basalmost centrosaurine and places Centrosaurus brinkmani as the sister taxon to Styracosaurus albertensis. The type species of Centrosaurus brinkmani is moved to a new genus.

Watch David Evans explain it all on Canada Am.

The Good Old Days of Dinosaur Provincal Park

As I was sorting through some old photos (circa 2000) I set aside some taken not all that long ago when the field station in DPP was the center for some cool palaeo-research. Above is outcrop right beside the field station that shows the contact between the Dinosaur Park and Oldman formations. Can you spot it?

Remember the great pair of styracosaurs sculpted by Brian Cooley that stood guard at the field station entrance?

The arrow points to BB138 that produced the holotype of Coronosaurus brinkmani. That multi-year project was initiated by Dave Eberth and run primarily by Mike Getty as part of the RTMP's Field Experience Program.

During the years the Field Experience Program ran, Mike and others (including myself) hosted a Prep Program in the field station that prepared 1000's of fossils collected in BB138 and other sites in DPP. I think that's ace voluteer, Don Cretin, with his back to the camera.

The holotype of Albertaceratops nesmoi under preparation in the field station.

Nano-Manga-Tyrannus

Tetsuto Miyashita recently gave me copies of this new manga series that he had picked up in Japan.

“Yuta of the Lands of Dragons - Story of Another World of Dinosaurs” by author and artist Juzo Tokoro is set in the Late Cretaceous of western North America.

The young hero, Yuta, is eager to become a dragon (dinosaur) master. After a series of adventures with both people and dinosaurs he discoveres he has a special sense – to read dinosaurs' minds!



According to Tetsuto, “the author is a keen Japanese amateur palaeontologist, and his insightful ideas about dinosaurs are everywhere in the books. Note that Dromaeosaurus is hopping, ceratopsids have holes in their frills, juvenile tyrannosaurids are feathered... etc. He had to compromise the setting a little bit so that he can put dinosaurs from Campanian and some Asian dinosaurs. He keeps it updated as he already made Albertaceratops and Dracorex pay their debuts in vol. 3. Gregarious Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus are based on the bonebed of Albertosaurus in Dry Island, Alberta. Volume 5 is out now in Japan.”

What I like about the series are the dino fact sheets interspersed amongst the stories. Here are a couple of examples:

Click image to enlarge

Manga Albertaceratops

Random pages from volume 4 of Yuta of the Land of Dragons with fun facts about real dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Provincial Park Advances in 7 Wonders Contest

What's wrong with this picture?

Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Niagara Falls and Lake Superior will be competing with more than 200 spectacular places around the world in the next phase of a competition to name the New 7 Wonders of Nature, organizers said Wednesday.

The three Canadian entrants were among 261 nominees, a list that includes Mount Everest, the Grand Canyon, and Loch Ness.

Over a billion people are expected to join in internet voting to nominate the 77 semifinalists for the top natural wonders. Votes can be cast until July 7, after which a panel of experts will select 21 finalists to be put to another popular vote, which is expected conclude in 2011.

Great news! Too bad the CBC illustrated the article with my photo (above) showing the excavation of Albertaceratops 150 south of DPP.

Thanks to Lisa (Hi Lisa!) for the heads up on this.