Crocodile skull. When your nostrils are on top of your head, the easier it is to breath undetected as you stalk your prey. Check this out. See how you can barely see this wonderful beast swimming through the water? By having your nose on top, you can enter stealth mode AND breath too! And this guy? Better watch out. #Hook
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Crocodile skull.

When your nostrils are on top of your head, the easier it is to breath undetected as you stalk your prey.

Check this out. See how you can barely see this wonderful beast swimming through the water? By having your nose on top, you can enter stealth mode AND breath too!

And this guy? Better watch out. #Hook

Hippopotamus

These photos were taken in the ROM’s “Antler Room”. Essentially, it’s a climate controlled space full of bones, skeletons and taxidermied animals. And then there’s racks on racks on racks of antlers.

Here’s some real talk about how dope hippos are.

  • A Hippo’s birth weight is around 10 times that of yours. But I don’t even think that’s surprising.
  • You have two guesses, what is the closest living relative of the hippopotamus? Answer at the end.
  • They secrete their own type of sunscreen. Which seems an awful lot more convenient than going to Shoppers.
  • Bonus secretion fact! Can’t sweat.
  • Hippos spin their tail while pooing to help mark their territory over a larger area. There’s a youtube clip. I’ll let you find it.
  • Though they spend most of their time in water, they eat mostly land vegetation. Nothing like a midnight snack (that’s when they eat btws).
  • Hippos use their teeth for eating and, and most fierce of all, battling! They fight mostly other hippo’s though. Not like Hippopotas.
  • The closest living relative is the whale!

EDITORS NOTE: Can’t believe I didn’t make a “Hungry, Hungry Hippos” reference…

Baby Maiasaur. The find that changed the way we look at dinosaur parents.
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Baby Maiasaur. The find that changed the way we look at dinosaur parents.

Nothing like the skull of a monkey to show us just how similar we are.
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Nothing like the skull of a monkey to show us just how similar we are.

In honour of Twilight finally wrapping (didn’t even know it was still a thing), here’s a legit wolf’s skull.
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In honour of Twilight finally wrapping (didn’t even know it was still a thing), here’s a legit wolf’s skull.

Stegosaurus skull. Not even sure how the Good Mother Maiasaur fit a brain in there.
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Stegosaurus skull.

Not even sure how the Good Mother Maiasaur fit a brain in there.

A childhood dream of mine was to meet Paul Sereno, one of my favourite palaeontologists. Earlier this year, when #ultimatedinos was being built, I got up close to Paul Sereno’s Carchardontosaurus, and did my best to recreate this famous photo. And that, I thought, would be as close as I would ever get to this legend.

This week, I got a little closer.

Love my job. Love what we offer. So glad to be a part of this.

_________

NOTE: Leading up to Sereno’s meet & greet and lecture, I worked the lines speaking to parents, kids, dino nerds. It was wonderful meeting so many excited and enthusiastic people.

I’ll always remember one comment in particular though from a mom, “My son’s here to meet his dino hero. I’m here to meet one attractive man!”. And indeed. Paul Sereno doesn’t look like he’s aged a day since his placing in the top 50 most beautiful people list in 1997!

Majungosaurus via portrait and bone! Maybe the most underrated Ultimate Dino? #ultimatedinos

The Dinosaur Portrait Gallery is a project by our #summerclub2012 group Dino Days. Students chose their favourite dinosaur and created their own inspired portrait using pencil, chalk pastel, and white glue!

Youth Tyrannosaurus Rex. Super scary. And REALLY hungry.

I can only imagine how awesome/scary a young Tyrannosaurus Rex would have looked. Teeth, that are ready to chomp right through you. Maybe a mane of feathers. Fierce all around.

But what is most impressive about these lil’ guys is how fast they grew through their teenage years. Teenage Tyrannosaurs would eat upwards of two kilograms of meat a day. A DAY! For example, this is what it looks like to eat a two kilogram steak. Not good for us. But perfectly reasonable for one of the world’s largest predator. 

I remember eating my house out of all the food as a teenager. A Tyrannosaurus Rex would have eaten the whole neighbourhood. Literally.

The Carcharodontosaurus skull is absolutely HUGE! This is one of my favourite parts of #ultimatedinos.