Greetings DinoWaurriors! Once again I delve into the world of blind bag collectables to see what comes from it! This time, Cryolophosaurus is our focus, a great reptile of Antarctica’s Late Jurassic period. Let’s see if this edition of ‘Elvisaurus’ is a big hunk o’ love, or if we will return to sender.
Age: Jurassic
Review: Cryolophosaurus (Jurassic Hunters by Geoworld)
Fossils from the polar regions are a rarity, and it often boggles the mind to think of dinosaurs in the ice and snow of places like Antarctica. During the Late Jurassic, Antarctica was part of Gondwanaland, so was warmer and host to a large number of dinosaurs, such as the theropod Cryolophosaurus, nicknamed “Elvisaurus” for its phenomenal crest.
Review: Cryolophosaurus (Papo)
“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.” – Elvis Presley.
Cryolophosaurus was an early Jurassic theropod that hailed from the Hanson Formation around 194-188 mya in what is now Antarctica.
Review: Cryolophosaurus (Terra Series by Battat)
Review: Dacentrurus (Haolonggood)
Happy Hen Toys has generously provided me with my first ever Haolonggood review subject: Dacentrurus. The very first stegosaur to be formally described and named in 1875 (the original name was Omosaurus until someone realized in 1902 that it was already taken), Dacentrurus is estimated to have been up to nine metres in length and five metric tons in weight, making it presently the second largest known member of its family after Stegosaurus.
Review: Dakosaurus (PNSO)
Dakosaurus means “biter lizard,” a most appropriate name for any metriorhynchid. There are currently two recognized species: D. maximus from throughout Europe and D. andiniensis from Argentina. Unlike other metriorhynchids, D. andiniensis possessed a noticeably short, deep snout, which has led it to be nicknamed “Godzilla.” It is also the geologically youngest known metriorhynchid, hailing from the Early Cretaceous as well as the Late Jurassic.
Review: Dearc (Deluxe by CollectA)
Discovered in the Lealt Shale Formation on the Isle of Skye in Scotland in 2017, Dearc sgiathanach (pronounced ‘jark ski-a-naw-ka’) was a Middle Jurassic rhamphorhynchine pterosaur, and quite a large one at that. Its precise size is uncertain, but the estimated wingspan is between 1.9 and 3.8 metres, which makes it the largest known aligerous animal of its time as well as one of the largest known rhamphorhynchids.
Review: Dearc (Little Softs)
Review: Dicraeosaurus (Haolonggood/GR Toys)
Review: Dilophosaurus & Dracovenator (Dinosaurs &Co. by De Agostini)
Would you like a side of miniatures with your rubber monsters?
Not every dinosaur toy is equal. Not every absence of inaccuracy means inaccuracies are absent. Dilophosaurus is frequently plagued by imaginary features ingrained into pop culture due to a certain Universal/Spielberg blockbuster; but just because a toy of the two-crested reptile eschews the frills doesn’t mean the rest of the design gets a free pass.
Review: Dilophosaurus (2020)(Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)
Sometimes there’s no avoiding bad timing. Since paleontology is an ever-shifting field of scientific understanding, any artistic or commercial renditions of prehistoric life risk becoming obsolete at the drop of a new find. Such was the case for Safari Ltd., who announced the release of a new Dilophosaurus model for 2020 to replace the previous Wild Safari version – only for a brand-new paper to drop later that same year, providing a new, thorough analysis of all known Dilophosaurus fossils and providing new insight into the Early Jurassic predator’s life appearance.