Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Postosuchus was a large predator that prowled North America at the beginning of the age of the dinosaurs, approximately 210 million years ago. It was not a dinosaur, but a type of reptile called a rauisuchid. Postosuchus was the largest predator in its ecosystem.
History:
An expedition from Texas Tech University in 1980 discovered the remains of a new reptile in the Triassic mudstone of Garza County, West Texas. In the following three years, eight more skeletons were discovered in the same area. This wealth of material allowed paleontologists to conduct a detailed study of its anatomy, and in 1985 of a full description of this new carnivore - Postosuchus - was published.
Scientific Name: Postosuchus kirkpatricki
Characteristics: Postosuchus was a meat-eating rauisuchid reptile with a deep snout and serrated dagger-like teeth. Unusually for a reptile it had straight legs and an upright stance. It could walk on its longer back legs, or sometimes on all fours. It had five-toed hands, four-toed feet, and a long tail. It had bony scutes distributed in rows along the top if its back and tail, as our Postosuchus toy depicts. Large adults reached up to 13 feet long.
Size: This meticulously detailed Postosuchus toy figure is 7.5 inches long and 2.5 inches high.
The Postosuchus is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Prestosuchus was a predatory reptile that lived during the Triassic Period in South America around 240 million years ago. It could grow over 20 feet long and had a massive head full of sharp teeth. Despite its dinosaur-like appearance, it was actually a rauisuchid, closely related to Postosuchus. Rauisuchids were not dinosaurs, but ancient relatives of crocodiles.
History: Though Prestosuchus was first discovered and described around 1940, it wasn’t until 2013 that it was fully understood, as a nearly complete specimen was discovered that gave scientists new insight into how its leg muscles worked. This well preserved skeleton helped paleontologists learn how Prestosuchus walked and moved while alive.
Scientific Name: Prestosuchus chiniquensis (“Prestes Crocodile” after paleontologist Vicentino Prestes de Almeida)
Characteristics: Prestosuchus walked mostly on four legs, with its limbs held erect beneath its body, which our Prestosuchus toy reflects. Its head was very large with a deep skull, and it was likely covered in scales similar to its crocodile relatives.
Size: This Prestosuchus toy measures 9 inches long and about 2 ½ inches tall, about the size of a pair of scissors.
The Prestosuchus is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Psittacosaurus, or the ‘parrot lizard’, was a small plant eating dinosaur that lived in Mongolia and China during the Early Cretaceous, 100 to 120 million years ago. About the size of a large dog, this peaceful creature used its beak and rough teeth to cut and crush tough plants. Recent discoveries revealed the skin color and pattern of Psittacosaurus and also showed that it had an unusual row of bristles along the top of its tail, which is reflected in our Psittacosaurus toy.
History: A wealth of fossil material, including adults, juveniles, and babies, makes Psittacosaurus one of the best-known of all the dinosaurs. Soft tissues have even been found preserved in a Psittacosaurus skeleton discovered in Liaoning Province, China. This impressive fossil shows the outline of the body and even indicates the color and pattern of the skin, which was darker on top and lighter underneath. It also shows a row of bristles running along the top of the tail, which may have been for show.
Scientific Name: Psittacosaurus mongoliensis
Characteristics: Psittacosaurus was a small herbivore with a deep beak reminiscent of a parrot’s. It had a very wide head with spikes that protruded from its cheeks. It walked on two legs, but could also rest on its shorter arms. A row of long bristles protruded from top of its tail.
Size: This accurately bristled Psittacosaurus toy figure is 5.25 inches long and 1.75 inches high. Its spotted brown color, darker on top and lighter below, reflects the latest scientific discoveries.
The Psittacosaurus is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Pteranodon was a huge flying reptile with a wingspan of over 20 feet. It belonged to an extinct group of reptiles called pterosaurs. Pterosaurs were not dinosaurs, but were closely related. Pteranodon lived during the Cretaceous Period, about 86 million years ago in what is now western North America. Although Pteranodon and other pterosaurs resembled modern bats, they were not related.
History: The first Pteranodon specimen was found in 1870 in Kansas by Othniel Marsh, the famous paleontologist from Yale University. Marsh recognized that it was a pterosaur, but it had no head, so he wasn’t sure whether it was the same as the pterosaurs from Europe, or something new. A few years later, in 1876, some skulls were found, showing that Pteranodon was indeed completely different from any known pterosaur.
Scientific Name: Pteranodon, meaning roughly ‘toothless wing’.
Characteristics: Although the first pterosaurs had teeth, Pteranodon had a long, slender, toothless beak. The skull has a long crest that projects upward and backward, as our Pteranodon toy shows. The function of the crest is uncertain, but we do know that the size and shape of the crest is different in males and females, so it was most likely used as a display structure during courtship. Pteranodon had a tiny tail, much too short to have steered the animal during flight, so the crest may also have been useful as a rudder.
Size: This Pteranodon toy model is 3 inches long with a 7.25 wingspan.
The Pteranodon is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Pterosaurs were the first reptiles to develop powered flight. They lived for a long time, from the Late Triassic to the End of the Cretaceous (228-66 million years ago). Although they are sometimes referred to as ‘flying dinosaurs,’ this is incorrect. Although they are closely related to dinosaurs, they are technically just outside of the group, so paleontologists refer to pterosaurs ad dinosaurs as ‘sistergroups’.
History: The first pterosaur was described a long time ago – in 1784. Pterosaurs were first thought to be swimmers because the paleontologist who found it thought that its wings were paddles. Soon after, the famous French anatomist and paleontologist Georges Cuvier realized that the paddles were actually wings, and that this was a flying creature.
Characteristics: This Pterosaur toy accurately depicts the prehistoric reptile - Unlike birds, which have wings mostly made of feathers, the wings of pterosaurs are made of skin, more like a modern bat. However, the skin membrane of the bat’s wing is supported by four really long fingers. A pterosaur wing has only one long finger supporting its leading (front) edge. So, although the pterosaur wing and bat wing are superficially similar, they are quite different under the skin. Pterosaurs lived on earth for a long time, so there are many different kinds.
Size: This Pterosaur toy is 4 inches long and 7 inches wide.
The Pterosaur is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
The magnificent Quetzalcoatlus was the size of a small aircraft and one of the largest flying animals ever. Our Quetzalcoatlus toy is much smaller, but still packs tons of detail! This massive, but delicately built, carnivorous reptile was one of the last of its kind. Like all pterosaurs, an elongate finger supported each of its wing membranes. It soared through the Late Cretaceous skies of North America, 68 million years ago.
History: Quetzalcoatlus is a relatively recent discovery. In the 1970s, Douglas Lawson and colleagues discovered several pterosaur skeletons, including a gigantic wing bone, in Big Bend National Park, Texas. In 1975 Lawson described the huge wing as a new species, Quetzalcoatlus northropi, a pterosaur he described as “the largest flying creature”. This pterosaur has since become one of the most famous of its kind and is housed in the Texas Memorial Museum at Austin.
Scientific Name: Quetzalcoatlus northropi
Characteristics: Quetzalcoatlus had a large head with long, toothless jaws and a long, thin neck. It’s small, fuzzy body supported its winged arms, which could grow to an impressive wingspan of up to 35 ft.
Size: This realistic Quetzalcoatlus toy model is 7.25 inches long and has a wingspan of 8.75 inches.
The Quetzalcoatlus is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Regaliceratops means “Royal Horned Face”, referring to its head frill that features plates around the edge resembling a crown. It lived in the late Cretaceous Period, 68 million years ago, in what is now Alberta, Canada.
History: The skull of Regaliceratops was found by Peter Hews, a geologist, in an Alberta river in 2005. The species was not named and described until 2015, and the skull now resides in the Royal Tyrell Museum in Alberta. It is nearly complete, though slightly deformed, and it shows off the animal’s namesake frill very well.
Scientific Name: Regaliceratops peterhewsi
Characteristics: The body of Regaliceratops was likely similar to that of most other related ceratopsians, with short front legs, longer back legs, and a short tail. Its head features short brow horns, a nose horn and a parrot-like beak, with its distinctive plated frill. All of these features are reproduced in great detail on our beautifully painted Regaliceratops toy figure.
Size: This Regaliceratops toy is 6 ¾ inches long and 2 ¾ inches tall to the top of its frill. It’s a little bit longer than a soda can on its side.
The Regaliceratops is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection.
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free.
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Rhamphoryhnchus was a pterosaur, or flying reptile, that lived in the Late Jurassic (about 150 million years ago) in what is now Europe. Although it is superficially similar in some ways to bats and birds, it is not related to either group. It is easily recognizable by its beak-like snout and long tail. The best Rhamphorhynchus fossils come from a limestone quarry in Solnhofen, Bavaria. All of the fossils from this locality are incredibly well preserved, leaving little doubt about what the animals looked like in life.
History: The first Rhamphorhychus fossil was found in 1825, and was first thought to be an ancient bird. Under closer examination, it became clear that it had teeth, similar to Pterodactylus, the first pterosaur that had just been described. A quick comparison told the scientists that the new ‘bird’ fossil was really a pterosaur, but unlike Pterodactylus, this new pterosaur had a very long tail.
Scientific Name: Rhamphorhychus, meaning ‘beak-snout’.
Characteristics: Rhamphorhynchus was a fairly large pterosaur. It had a very long snout full of long sharp teeth that were probably used to catch fish. Unlike some pterosaurs, Rhamphorhychus did not have a bony crest on its skull. It had a very long tail stiffened by ligaments. The end of the tail had a diamond-shaped vane that helped the animal steer as it flew through the air, a bit like a rudder. This Rhamphorhynchus toy features all of these distinctive traits. Although large adults had a wingspan of nearly six feet, hatchlings with wingspans of as little as one foot have also been found.
Size: This Rhamphorhynchus toy is 7 inches long with an 8 inch wingspan.
The Rhamphorhynchus is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Sarcosuchus was a gigantic ancient relative of crocodiles, living in the Early Cretaceous Period around 112 million years ago. It could grow over 30 feet in length! It had a long, thin snout that ended in a thick, round projection known as a “bulla”.
History: Sarcosuchus is thought to be among the largest of the Crocodyliformes, a group composed of crocodiles and their close ancestors. Fragments of its skeleton were found between 1946 and 1959, but in 1964 a nearly complete skull was discovered. More recent fossils found in the late 1990s and early 2000s provided even more complete skeletal information.
Scientific Name: Sarcosuchus (“Flesh Crocodile”)
Characteristics: This crocodile-like Sarcosuchus toy figure is hand painted and full of scientifically accurate details, from the large hump (bulla) on its nose to the wide flat scutes on its back. It’s posed in a walking stance, making its way across its tropical habitat.
Size: This Sarcosuchus toy is just over 10 inches in length, and stands 2 ¼ inches tall at the hump of its back. It’s about the size of a 20 oz bottle.
The Sarcosuchus is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Sauropelta was a medium-sized armored dinosaur that lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous, about 108 million years ago. This peaceful plant eater used its protective array of bony armor and spines to defend itself from hungry hunters.
History: Sauropelta was named in 1970 based on fossil material from Wyoming and Montana. In 1984 paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter restudied this and other material, along with fossil footprints referred to Sauropelta, which led to an accurate reconstruction of the skeleton and armor. This makes Sauropelta one of the best understood of all the ankylosaurs, or ‘armored dinosaurs’.
Scientific Name: Sauropelta edwardsorum
Characteristics: Sauropelta was a medium-sized herbivore that reached about 17 feet long. It had a small beaked head, a long tail, and walked on all fours. It had five fingers and four toes. Most notably it had an impressive covering of armor that consisted of bony plates on the back, hips, and tail, a row of triangular spine-like projections along its flanks, and large pointed spines on its neck which you can see on this Sauropelta toy.
Size: This beautifully detailed Sauropelta toy figure is 7.25 inches long and 2.5 inches high.
The Sauropelta is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Smilodon is better known as the sabre-toothed cat. This large muscular feline had massive dagger-like fangs and is well known from thousands of skeletons excavated from the Rancho La Brea tar pits of California. Smilodon hunted for prey in North and South America before it became extinct about 12 thousand years ago.
History: The natural seeps of heavy oil at Rancho La Brea formed deep lakes, which were covered with twigs and leaves during the Pleistocene. This treacherous surface trapped unsuspecting animals such as elephants and horses. These struggling mammals attracted predators, including Smilodon fatalis, which found themselves trapped as well. As a result, thousands of Smilodon skeletons have been found preserved in the tar pits.
Scientific Name: Smilodon fatalis
Characteristics: Smilodon was a strong meat-eating cat best known for its long curved canine teeth. It had longer front legs than hind legs, and had a short tail, which are reflected in our Smilodon toy. It had sharp claws on its hands and feet, and reached 6.5 feet long, about the size of a modern lion.
Size: This Smilodon toy figure is 4 inches long and 3 inches high.
The Smilodon is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
Wild Safari Dinosaur Collection
Spinosaurus was a large, fish-eating dinosaur found in Egypt and Africa. As more and more remains of this dinosaur are found, scientists can begin to get a better picture of this unique dinosaur, from its crocodile-like face to the spined sail on its back. Recently, it was even discovered that its tail featured a large fin.
History: Spinosaurus has a long history featuring many discoveries that have changed the way we see this dinosaur through the years. First discovered in 1915, it was often depicted as a normal theropod (meat-eating dinosaur) with a large rounded sail on its back. Recent discoveries have shown that not only did it have a more narrow, crocodile-like face, but it had much shorter legs than previously thought, and even a large fin that ran the length of its tail.
Scientific Name: Spinosaurus aegyptiacus (Spined Lizard of Egypt)
Characteristics: This Spinosaurus toy features the most recent discoveries about this dinosaur incorporated into its design, including the recently uncovered tail fin. All of Spinosaurus’s iconic features are here, including its dorsal sail, its narrow, tooth-filled jaws, and its enlarged hand claws.
Size: This Spinosaurus toy figure is 9 inches long and 3 inches high to the top of its sail.
The Spinosaurus is part of our Wild Safari Prehistoric World collection.
All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
