On November 25th 2015, the rare pliosaur skull that Scott Moore-Fay of The DinoLab spent over 400hrs preparing finally goes into the auction!

This specimen was discovered in the 1980's, when a collector saw some teeth and jaw sticking out from an enormous Septarian nodule, weighing over 125 KG. Septarian is a very hard limestone bolder. The skull has been painstakingly revealed by chipping and cutting away the rock. Simolestes sp.  is estimated to have grown to just over 6m long. It is considered that this species was one of the apex predators of the seas that covered Europe at that time.

This specimen consists of the 82 cm long skull, the lower jaws, over 20 teeth, a partial scapula, several ribs and a cervical vertebra. It has been worked on both sides but is still held within the original matrix. The articulations of the lower jaw and quite a few teeth were lost prior to fossilization so it would be reasonable to suggest that the specimen was not rapidly covered and fossilized but its covering took much longer and the skull was exposed to currents and scavenging which has led to the losses mentioned above. That said this is still a remarkably complete specimen of an iconic species, probably most familiar as featuring on the television series, Walking with Dinosaurs and Dinosaur Planet.

The BBC covered the auction today as an Allosaurus skeleton is also going under the hammer. Take a look here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-34914722.

Footnote:

The skull failed to sell at auction but was subsequently purchased by Oxford University Natural History Museum. It was due to go on display summer 2018 along with two other skeletons , a plesiosaur and a pliosaur. The conservation and preparation of the Pliosaur skull (Yarton Pliosaur) was also carried out by Scott.

On November 5th 2015 we visited the boys and girls in Year 1 and 2 at Combe Bank School in Sundridge, Sevenoaks, as part of their Dinosaur topic this term. As well as the shock of seeing the class monkey "Mona" in the jaws of a pliosaur, Year 1 and 2 did some super individual drawings  that can be seen in our Gallery.

We really liked this lovely collection of drawings done by a couple of Year 1 girls working together.

We also really liked this jellyfish, who appears to be very amused by the arrival of a turtle on the scene!
 

Congratulations to team Stegosaur who should be commended for both their reconstruction of the ithyosaur skeleton and their numerous sea life drawings:

Team T-Rex were victorious in our fossil identification challenge, well done!

On April 29th and 30th 2015 The DinoLab returned to Blackheath Prep School for the 3rd year running! It was lovely to be back again with Year 2. I am sure not many 7 year olds could name an "english" dinosaur without reference, but Form 2F and Form 2E could! You really amazed us with your encyclopedic dinosaur knowledge, very well done!

Our favourite drawing this workshop is this one from Form 2F's Stegosaur team. It very closely resembles an "Enchodus", also known as the "Sabre-toothed herring" that would have swam with the icthyosaurs in the Late Cretaceous through to the Eocene, around 70-40 million years ago! A super drawing: 

We were also very impressed with the attention to detail shown in these drawings from Maria in Form 2E's Stegosaur team:

  Visit our gallery to see our favourite drawings
  from this year's workshop and to see who won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place!

The DinoLab would like to wish Year 2's former teacher, Mr Forward, well on his return to Australia. Year 2's budding palaeontologists remember, you know who to call on your hunt for a Muttaburrasaurus, or a Cryolophosaurus... be sure to give The DinoLab a call if you find one!

See you next year! 

On Tuesday 17th June 2014, The DinoLab carried out the largest workshop we have undertaken so far, seeing 170 boys at Solefield School in Sevenoaks in a single science day!

Reception mixed with Years 1-3 in our early morning session, Years 4&5 in our late morning session and Years 6-8 in our afternoon session.

The winning team for the fossil identification challenge for Reception to Year 3 was Stegosaur group! Well done for achieving 16/18!

The winning team for Years 4 and 5 was Velociraptor with 17/18, a very impressive score, well done!

The older boys, Year 6-8, were challenged with 30 fossils to guess, many rare and valuable items to look at and to touch. The winners in this group was T-Rex with 24/30. Well done T-Rex!.

Do visit our Gallery to see which of the boys individual drawings made it to the wall! We particularly liked the first angler fish we have seen, the ingenuity of the boy who used a real fossil turtle to draw his swimming turtle:

We were delighted with our new activity, the DinoLab "Tyrannosaurus Trackway" that saw Year 6-8 test their maths skills to work out the length of a T-Rex leg from huge footprints that tracked the school playground!

Contact us today to join in the fun!

On Tuesday 17th June 2014, The DinoLab will be roaring into Sevenoaks as part of Solefield School's Whole School Science Day! http://www.solefieldschool.org/calendar/. The DinoLab team are looking forward to meeting Reception right through to Year 8.

Reception to Year 3 will be excavating bones, trying their hand at the DinoLab fossil ID challenge and building an ichthyosaur skeleton.

Year 4 and 5 will be excavating a fossil fish slab and seeing if they can do better than Reception to Year 3 at The DinoLab fossil ID challenge! They will also be building an ichthyosaur skeleton.

Year 6 to Year 8 being older and wiser, will be winning the DinoLab fossil ID challenge :-) and will also get a chance to try our new "Tyrannosaurus Trackway" activity. They will use an equation to work out the length of the leg of the beast that one made a set of fossil footprints. They will then produce a drawing of the leg, at its true size, onto paper....

Unfolding the  wing of a pterosaur at The New Beacon School Sevenoaks!

On the afternoon of May 21st 2014, The DinoLab visited the boys in Reception at The New Beacon School. As well as digging for fossil fish and having a go at The DinoLab fossil identification challenge (won by the Triceratops team - well done!), the boys stretched out the wing bones from "wingpit" to "tip" of "Quetzlacoatlus"; one of the largest flying animals of all time!

But was it really able to fly? Take a look at the evidence still being discovered about these fascinating creatures and find out why the scientists still don't really know for sure!

http://ptersaurheresies.wordpress.com/tag/azhdarchid/

Curious about what we do? Contact us today for your school or nursery to experience The DinoLab!

Today on the 215th birthday of the most famous dinosaur hunter ever; Mary Anning, it's exciting to think that there is still so much waiting to be discovered about dinosaurs!

Just this week it was announced that the biggest dinosaur ever was discovered in Argentina. It lived 100 million years ago and had thigh bones the size of a fully grown man. This yet unnamed dinosaur is a "sauropod".

In The DinoLab for Little-Uns our Dino Detectives learn about the footprints made by the plant eating "sauropods" and the meat eating "theropods" and they get to make their very own Dinosaur Trackways. The DinoLab aims to bring a hands on experience of dinosaurs to all children, from nursery through primary school. Contact us today to join in the fun!

Will Dinosaurs be spotted at The New Beacon School on May 21st?

Reception lookout, the dinosaurs are rumoured to be crossing Sevenoaks and heading from Combe Bank School in your direction...

The Dinosaurs at Combe Bank!

On May 19th 2014 the DinoLab had a fabulous time visiting Combe Bank Nursery bathed in glorious sunshine! Our Dino Detectives, dug for fossil fish, painted their own dinosaurs and made their own "Combe Bank Dinosaur Trackway". Well done Daisies and Buttercups!

The Dinosaurs are coming to Combe Bank Nursery!

On May 19th 2014 the DinoLab be visiting Combe Bank Nursery!  We have some exciting activities planned for the Little-Uns, including making a dinosaur trackway and fossil dig...

Back to Blackheath Prep!

As Londoners battled the tube strike on April 30th 2014, the DinoLab re-visited Year 2 at Blackheath Preparatory School.  We returned again the following day, May 1st 2014. Thank you very much to Mr Forward for welcoming us back again, following our visit in 2013. Congratulations to the April 30th Team Diplodocus for winning the fossil identification challenge with a score of 16/18 and Team Velociraptor for winning on May 1st with a score of 15/18. Very well done!

Our favourite drawings have to be the "chattiest shoal of fish" drawn by Jemima in Team Velociraptor (April 30th) and "the most glamourous jellyfish" drawn by Juliette in Team T-Rex (April 30th). We also thought Martha's "krill" in Team Velociraptor (May 1st) was simple, yet inspired! Take a look in our Gallery.

The DinoLab Heads North to West Yorkshire!

On March 24th 2014, on a beautiful sunny Monday, the DinoLab visited Year 3 at North Featherstone Junior and Infant School, http://www.northfeatherstone.wakefield.sch.uk/home. We were hosted at a nearby rugby club. Scott and Melissa had a great day with some very enthusiastic dino detectives. Year 3, check out our gallery to see whose drawings made the wall, well done especially to the T-Rex team who did the best set of drawings on the day, we especially liked the Hammerhead shark!

Fun with Year 1 at Bidborough C of E Primary School!

On Feb 28th 2014 The Dinolab concluded our 2 day visit to Bidborough. This time visiting a group of very enthusiastic dino detectives in Year 1. Their great questions and answers showed how fascinated they all are by dinosaurs and how knowledgable they are. One little boy pointing out to Scott that if "T-Rex had wings he would be a dragon!" Something that we certainly hadn't thought about before!

Well done to the Pliosaur team for winning the fossil identification challenge with 14/18! The Velociraptor team showed us that at just 6 years old they can draw plesiosaurs and crocodiles, sea horses and other sea creatures without any reference to photographs or photos:

Well done to Velociraptor, Pliosaur and to all in Year 1, we very much enjoyed our visit and hope to see you again soon!

DinoLab return to Bidborough C of E Primary School!

On Feb 27th2014 The DinoLab started a two day visit to the girls and boys in Year 2, our second visit to the school, first visited in 2012. Well done to the Diplodocus team for winning the fossil identification challenge with 14/18 correct answers! Diplodocus also gave us the most numerous and wide variety of drawings. Especially good were two side profile turtles, well done!

A talented artist in the Pliosaur team should also be congratulated on her collection, accurately drawing a seahorse, stringray and ammonite! Very well done!

 We are very much looking forward to seeing Year 1's talents tomorrow!

DinoLab at Surbiton High Boys Preparatory School

On Jan 23rd 2014 The DinoLab had great fun with the boys in Year 2! We were very impressed with all the questions they put to Scott. Well done to the TRex and Velociraptor teams for winning the fossil identification challenge and Diplodocus for showing us the best drawings. If you would like to see the best of their artwork in our Gallery, please take a look!

Dino detectives enjoying The Dig and Quiz at the Combe Bank Summer Fete June 15th 2013

Thank you to everyone who took part in The DinoLab Quiz and The DinoLab Big Dig! at the Combe Bank Summer Fete on June 15th 2013!.

The winners in each age group category were:

Under 7rs - Dylan aged 4! Well done Dylan, your 52 million year old shark's tooth prize will be coming your way very soon. Dylan's favourite dinosaur is "T-Rex, because it has the loudest roar!"

7-11 yrs - Rhianne aged 12! Well done Rhianne, your 70 million year old mosasaur tooth prize will be coming your way very soon. Rhianne's favourite dinosaur is "T-Rex because it is huge!"

12+ yrs - Terry aged 52. Well done Terry, your 90 million year old ammonite prize will be posted to you very soon. Terry's favourite dinosaur is "T-Rex - the king".

The runners up in each age group category were:

Under 7yrs - Taran aged 4. Well done Taran. Taran's favourite dinosaur is "T-Rex because its scary".

7-11 yrs - Jarad aged 7. Well done Jarad. Jarad's favourite dinosaur is "Pterodactyl because it flies".

              and Connor aged 9. Well done Connor, Connor's favourite dinosaur is "T-Rex because it is

              the most deadly predator that ever lived".

12+ yrs -James aged 13. Well done James. James's favourite dinosaur is "Pterodactyl because it was the first velociraptor to migrate across the ocean".

The answers to the quiz were:

Fossil 1: Ammonite

Fossil 2: A fish skull

Fossil 3: A dinosaur claw (Baryonyx)

Fossil 4: A fossil crab

Fossil 5: A fossilised oyster shell with an ammonite imprint on the surface.

Our youngest winner, Dylan, aged 4, was the closest to getting all 5 answers correct!

DinoJaws! Meet the terrifying 150m-year-old ocean monster that weighed 12 tonnes (and his name's Kevan).

Take a look at The Daily Mail article June 6th 2013 where the Dorchester dinosaur prepared by Scott Moore-Fay of The DinoLab has been described as a new species named "Pliosaurus kevani"! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2336196/Dino-Jaws-Meet-Kevan-terrifying-150m-year-old-ocean-monster-weighed-12-tons.html

Follow this link to see Kevan Sheenan, the finder of the huge Dorset skull, talking to the BBC breakfast team about his discovery and pleasure at having the dinosaur named after him. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22811301

You can also link to the research paper co-authored by Scott, from our website and read more about this incredible find: http://www.dinolab.org/links.html

DinoLab at the Combe Bank School Summer Fete

The DinoLab will have a stand at summer fete at Combe Bank School in Sevenoaks, Kent, on June 15th 2013 between 12 and 3pm. There will be fun activities for the kids, so please do come along to see us, we look forward to meeting more budding Dino Detectives!

DinoLab Certificates!

The DinoLab is now able to issue personalised certificates to all the dino detectives who participate in the school workshops. We also provide a party certificate for the birthday boy or girl dino detective, following their big day! If you are interested in knowing more about these certificates in advance of your booking, please contact us!

 Excavating Fossil Fish!

The DinoLab has launched a new activity for dino detectives aged 8 to 10 in the DinoLab!  The dino detectives each use their team flags to mark the spot on the large slab where they will start to excavate! They carefully start scraping away the clay to reveal the complete fossil fish. They then map the position of the fish they have found using rulers onto paper. There are over 70 to find.  Why not book The DinoLab to come and visit your school to see how many you can find!

The Dino Detectives Gallery!

We have launched a new web page to show you the best drawings of each species of sea creature drawn to date in The DinoLab, as part of the Icthyosaur reconstruction activity. Following your visit from The DinoLab, look for your team's artwork to see if you can spot it in The DinoLab Gallery!