@thedoodlingdino / thedoodlingdino.tumblr.com
How much bigger is Utahraptor than Velociraptor?
Check out these reconstructed skulls perched one on top of the other! Utahraptor Project had these on their table today at DinoFest in SLC.
*Utahraptor reconstruction by Gaston Design
Ps—For more interesting Utahraptor posts, search "Utahraptor" in this blog's search bar or visit the Utahraptor project at: https://utahraptorsite.com
Happy Fossil Friday! You’ve probably heard before that Velociraptor wasn’t as big as it was made out to be in Jurassic Park (for a picture of an adult skeleton next to a six-foot goofball click here). To give you an idea of just how small Velociraptor was, the photo above compares two sickle claws— the one at left from an animal called Utahraptor, which was about the size of the raptors in the film and the one on the right from Velociraptor. Now, this comparison isn’t completely fair, as the Utahraptor claw is shown with its horn sheath and the velociraptor claw with just the bone, but still, it’s tiny! That is, in a relative sense. This thing could still kill you if it had the inclination; fluffy yes, cuddly no. Plug: These casts were both made by my friend Rob Gaston, whose shop makes some of the best fossil replicas in the world. If you are interested to purchase copies* for your own desk, his website can be found at: http://www.gastondesign.com
*Utahraptor’s claw comes with a base, but Velociraptor’s does not. It’s pretty easy to make your own with sculpey though ;)
It turns out that some birds are just as smart as—and possibly smarter than—primates with larger brains. A new study shows that compared to mammals, bird brain tissue packs in much more smarts per ounce. Many much. More smarts. This mammal is struggling with his grammar :) In any case, check out the article below!
So what does this mean for dinosaurs? It’s currently unclear whether birds inherited this brain structure from their saurian ancestors, or whether they developed it to reduce weight in flight. If we find that they did inherit the trait from their maniraptoran forebears, however, then it will be time to rethink entirely what dinosaurs were capable of.
News article: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-06-term-bird-brain.html The original Paper: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/06/07/1517131113.full.pdf
#Sciart Some preliminary gestures for the post from a couple of days ago. There are less than two days left of the fundraiser to research, name and describe this guy, and it’s close! Your help can really make a difference on the home stretch: Check it out here
Hi all! I’m developing ideas for a product line for all dinosaur lovers, and I’ve noticed in the past that dinosaur products tend to ignore girls. If you are a girl and love dinosaurs, I need your help—both input to help me make my products more inclusive, and thoughts to persuade manufacturers of your interest. If you would like to help, please reblog your answer to the two following questions, and spread the word to your dino-loving friends: A) Why do you love dinosaurs? B) As a female dinosaur lover, did you feel underserved by dinosaur products and marketing? If so, how?
*PS—Please do not describe a specific idea you have for a product, as I do not want to steal your ideas [and will not be held liable for any similarity]. I’m looking more for general thoughts about what’s missing in commercial dino products/marketing and how girls can be served better.
As a professional in paleontology, I’ve been both publicly critical and privately grumpy about the choice of Jurassic World filmmakers to leave the raptors bald (Link). However, I noticed something new on my last run through. Others have noticed it before me, but this was the first I spotted it—a feathered lizard in the lab where Indominus was designed. Not enough to forgive the sin of what they put those poor shivering raptors through, (where’s PETA when you need them?) but a nice gesture :)
So excited for this—paleontologists have just announced Dakotaraptor, a giant raptor living in the same time and place as T. Rex! Maybe Jurassic World’s raptor/T. rex team-up scene wasn’t as far fetched as we thought … Ok, it’s still far fetched. Still, so stoked!
#jurassicworld A few months ago, when Jurassic World first came out, I wondered like many people what the raptors would look like with feathers. So, I digitally painted over one of the frames from the first film to find out. Since the Blu-ray was released yesterday, I thought it could be a good day to share it again here.
Below are links to 2 time lapse videos of the painting process; the first goes rather fast, compressing 4 hours into 3 minutes; I apologize for how fast it zooms in and out (a biproduct of speeding it up). The second is a longer 20 minute version (easier on the eyes) and contains my review of the film. Some of you will notice that I chose not to put a tail fan on the animal. I left it off intentionally, suggesting that there might be some variation of integumentary layout within the dromaeosauridae. However, I did it knowing that most of the closest relatives of Velociraptor had display fans, and would agree that probably Velociraptor had a display fan as well:
Extended version with review Reblog with tags and follow if you’re a dinomaniac!
Inktober #4: Velociraptor mongoliensis
Reblog and follow if you’re a dinomaniac!
Today’s doodle: Deinonychus antirrhopus and Tenontosaurus tilletti
Reblog and tag—or this Christmas instead of Santa Deinonychus will come down your chimney.
Velociraptor Makeover: Extended 20 Minute Edition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS8W5N2NBGA The original short (3 minute) video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDT5_vZPpVM&spfreload=10
It’s over 9,000! The view count on the raptor makeover video that is :) If you’re not familiar, the “Raptor Makeover” videos show the process of my painting over a Jurassic Park farme to update the look of the Jurassic World raptors to match the most recent discoveries. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to watch and to continue to share! Here’s the “extended cut” of the original vision as a thank you ;) Originally, the 20 minute version of the raptor makeover video was intended to launch the same weekend as the film. It was recorded in good time, but then my wife and I moved and had a baby, a twosome that can wreak just as much havoc on a schedule as a teamed up pack of velociraptors and a T. rex. I’m not complaining, though. Chris Pratt, you can have your raptor babies. Mine is much cuter :) *A note to my fellow dinomaniacs: “No tail fan, whaaaa!?” Good eye! I made the intentional decision to leave off the tail fan display based on variation within the fossil record. Most close relatives of Velociraptor do have display fans, but some slightly more distant ones did not. It’s a long shot, but an informed decision within the scope of believability, chosen for my personal taste. Reblog if you’re a dinomaniac!
To celebrate the release of Jurassic World, I updated the classic JP raptor with a full coat of feathers to fit with the fossil evidence. Who says feathered raptors can’t be scary?
Full before and after shots here: http://thedoodlingdino.tumblr.com/post/121694717819/before-and-after-shots-of-velociraptor-classic-and The Doodling Dino youtube channel is finally up! If you love drawing, dinosaurs, and especially drawing dinosaurs, this is your happy place.
Before and after shots of Velociraptor classic and a Jurassic Park Velociraptor I updated to fit with the fossil evidence. Who says feathered raptors can’t be scary? The Doodling Dino youtube channel is finally up! The launch video celebrates the release of Jurassic World with a time-lapse video of the above raptor paint-over here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDT5_vZPpVM&spfreload=10
