Latest news with #Pachyrhinosaurus
Time Out
4 days ago
- Time Out
Okinawa is getting a new jungle amusement park with dinosaurs and outdoor adventures
Japan's tropical paradise, Okinawa, is a postcard image of pristine beaches, clear azure waters and rich culture. A new attraction set to open this summer, however, will spotlight the island prefecture's stunning forests instead. Set in the lush Yanbaru National Park in the north of the main Okinawa island, Junglia Okinawa is a sprawling amusement park that lets you explore the vibrant green landscape in an active way. The park will feature 22 attractions, 15 dining facilities, 10 shops and a rejuvenating spa – all set against a backdrop of dense jungle. Here's what to expect from Junglia Okinawa. There will be dinosaurs One section of Junglia takes you back to the Jurassic age. Hop into an off-road safari vehicle for a close encounter with 20 life-sized dinosaurs, including a towering 19-metre Brachiosaurus and a formidable T-Rex. For a gentler adventure, families can follow a jungle trail in search of a lost baby Pachyrhinosaurus and meet seven baby dinos along the way. There will be thrills Junglia eschews traditional rides in favour of high-adrenaline experiences. Soar 200 metres into the sky in a hot air balloon for sweeping views of the jungle and sea. Then, tear through rugged terrain in an off-road buggy, zip-line from a 19-metre tower, launch yourself as a human catapult, take a backward free-fall from high up, or brave rope bridges across deep jungle ravines. It's a playground for thrill-seekers. There will be entertainment Junglia has plenty more to offer when it's time to catch your breath. Enjoy live outdoor shows featuring music and acrobatics at Breeze Arena, and hop on a scenic tram ride through the park. There are indoor attractions, too. Just make sure you don't miss the evening fireworks that are set to music. There will be indulgences With 15 dining venues across the park, your appetite is well taken care of, too. Panorama Dining takes full advantage of the location's breathtaking views, especially from the outdoor bird's nest-like seats. Wild Banquet, meanwhile, is a lively open-air restaurant with show kitchens and tropical vibes. For total relaxation, head to the resort-style Spa Junglia. In addition to the world's largest infinity bath, as recognised by Guinness World Records, you can unwind in outdoor saunas, natural onsen baths and cave pools, all set against a backdrop of lush jungle and open skies. Junglia is set to open on Friday July 25, just in time for the summer holidays. One-day tickets for Japan residents are ¥6,930 for adults and ¥4,950 for children. General admission for overseas visitors is ¥8,800 for adults and ¥5,940 for kids. Visit Junglia Okinawa's website for more information.
The Independent
25-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
The new travel craze sparked by a BBC series
I'm crouched at a bone bed in Alberta, Canada, armed with a hammer, awl, and brush, attempting to unearth a piece of history 73 million years old. It's difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of the 181kg Pachyrhinosaurus skull buried beneath me – the remnants of a creature I've only ever encountered in fiction. Dinosaurs remain one of nature's greatest enigmas. Their sudden extinction continues to baffle scientists, yet evidence of their existence lies scattered across the globe, often just metres below the surface. The skull I'm carefully excavating belongs to a Pachyrhinosaurus, a close relative of the Triceratops, identifiable by its thick boss and ornate frills. Affectionately dubbed "Big Sam", this particular fossil was discovered during the filming of the new six-part BBC series, Walking With Dinosaurs – a reboot of the popular show that first aired 25 years ago. The series aims to breathe new life into these ancient relics, using detailed animatronics and presenting dinosaurs not just as fossils, but as living creatures with emotions and personalities, much like an Attenborough-style nature documentary. By piecing together clues from the past, Walking With Dinosaurs offers a glimpse into a prehistoric world, revealing the lives of these magnificent creatures. Liaising with more than 200 palaeontologists, the BBC settled on six distinct stories and dig sites including Spinosaurus, a fierce carnivore found in Morocco, and a Lusotitan in Portugal. Big Sam's brethren, belonging to one of the largest herding dinosaur species, are the stars of episode five. Known to science for fewer than 50 years, remains of the creatures were first found at Pipestone Creek Provincial Park. A 30-minute drive from the town of Grande Prairie, the bone bed is in a boreal forest close to a public trail and was first discovered by a school teacher walking along the creek in the mid-1970s – although proper excavations didn't take place until a couple of decades later. Guided tours of the site, where work continues, can be arranged by the nearby Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum. ' Alberta is famous for bigger dinosaur sites, but this is one of the most important,' says the museum's curator, palaeontologist Emily Bamforth. 'It's was what put northern Alberta on the map as a palaeontology hotspot.' It's estimated up to 40,000 animals could be buried in an area the size of a tennis court, making it one of the biggest collections of individual dinosaurs in the world. 'Millions of years ago, this area would have been marshy and close to the coast,' explains Ms Bamforth, as I chip away at a mille-feuille of overlapping ribs, hips and femurs – commonly known as a 'bone salad'. 'This would have been a great place to be a dinosaur.' The mass grave resembles a crime scene, with detectives forensically digging for clues in the soil. 'This is a sample size we almost never find in the fossil record,' says Ms Bamforth. 'It is a single snapshot of a community of animals from one period in time.' Theories suggest the animals were moving north as part of seasonal migration, similar to wildebeest following rains through Tanzania's Serengeti or Canadian caribou heading north to find fresh blooms. But an episode of flash flooding likely stopped them in their tracks. 'Everyone was killed – the old ones, the young ones, the fit ones, the weak ones,' says Ms Bamforth. 'We think that the carcasses were lying out on the floodplain for about a year or two, long enough that the bodies started to decay and fall apart. Then the scavengers started to move in – our big Tyrannosaur, our Albertosaurus, our little feather Dromaeosaurs.' Excavation and preparation are the most time-consuming aspects of any dig. Once bones have been sufficiently exposed, they are wrapped in a 'jacket' of bandages to create a protective cast and carefully removed for further work and analysis. Back at the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in a glass-screened laboratory viewable to public visitors, Ms Bamforth's team are working on another Pachyrhinosaurus skull. I watch as they carefully turn the weighty object – heavier than a motorcycle – in readiness to work on part of the fossil last seen when it was removed from the ground 22 years ago. The amount of information shared by these silent fossils is remarkable. Simply by studying the shape of the skull, Ms Bamforth's team has deduced detailed characteristics about the animals' behaviour. Big eye sockets would have allowed for the eye stabilisation seen in modern herd animals. The purpose of individual frill shapes has also been compared to the unique patterns of zebra stripes used by individuals to recognise one another in a big group. Stretching far beyond our limited mental capacity, imaging life several million years ago is almost incomprehensible. But bare bones can reveal a surprisingly complex story. Fleshed out by careful thought, scientific research and a bit of imagination, the struggles, triumphs and daily lives of these ancient creatures are surprisingly relatable. We are, after all, inhabitants of the same home.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Dino-tourism: How TV revival could ignite a new travel craze
I'm crouched at a bone bed in Alberta, Canada, armed with a hammer, awl, and brush, attempting to unearth a piece of history 73 million years old. It's difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of the 181kg Pachyrhinosaurus skull buried beneath me – the remnants of a creature I've only ever encountered in fiction. Dinosaurs remain one of nature's greatest enigmas. Their sudden extinction continues to baffle scientists, yet evidence of their existence lies scattered across the globe, often just metres below the surface. The skull I'm carefully excavating belongs to a Pachyrhinosaurus, a close relative of the Triceratops, identifiable by its thick boss and ornate frills. Affectionately dubbed "Big Sam", this particular fossil was discovered during the filming of the new six-part BBC series, Walking With Dinosaurs – a reboot of the popular show that first aired 25 years ago. The series aims to breathe new life into these ancient relics, using detailed animatronics and presenting dinosaurs not just as fossils, but as living creatures with emotions and personalities, much like an Attenborough-style nature documentary. By piecing together clues from the past, Walking With Dinosaurs offers a glimpse into a prehistoric world, revealing the lives of these magnificent creatures. Liaising with more than 200 palaeontologists, the BBC settled on six distinct stories and dig sites including Spinosaurus, a fierce carnivore found in Morocco, and a Lusotitan in Portugal. Big Sam's brethren, belonging to one of the largest herding dinosaur species, are the stars of episode five. Known to science for fewer than 50 years, remains of the creatures were first found at Pipestone Creek Provincial Park. A 30-minute drive from the town of Grande Prairie, the bone bed is in a boreal forest close to a public trail and was first discovered by a school teacher walking along the creek in the mid-1970s – although proper excavations didn't take place until a couple of decades later. Guided tours of the site, where work continues, can be arranged by the nearby Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum. ' Alberta is famous for bigger dinosaur sites, but this is one of the most important,' says the museum's curator, palaeontologist Emily Bamforth. 'It's was what put northern Alberta on the map as a palaeontology hotspot.' It's estimated up to 40,000 animals could be buried in an area the size of a tennis court, making it one of the biggest collections of individual dinosaurs in the world. 'Millions of years ago, this area would have been marshy and close to the coast,' explains Ms Bamforth, as I chip away at a mille-feuille of overlapping ribs, hips and femurs – commonly known as a 'bone salad'. 'This would have been a great place to be a dinosaur.' The mass grave resembles a crime scene, with detectives forensically digging for clues in the soil. 'This is a sample size we almost never find in the fossil record,' says Ms Bamforth. 'It is a single snapshot of a community of animals from one period in time.' Theories suggest the animals were moving north as part of seasonal migration, similar to wildebeest following rains through Tanzania's Serengeti or Canadian caribou heading north to find fresh blooms. But an episode of flash flooding likely stopped them in their tracks. 'Everyone was killed – the old ones, the young ones, the fit ones, the weak ones,' says Ms Bamforth. 'We think that the carcasses were lying out on the floodplain for about a year or two, long enough that the bodies started to decay and fall apart. Then the scavengers started to move in – our big Tyrannosaur, our Albertosaurus, our little feather Dromaeosaurs.' Excavation and preparation are the most time-consuming aspects of any dig. Once bones have been sufficiently exposed, they are wrapped in a 'jacket' of bandages to create a protective cast and carefully removed for further work and analysis. Back at the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in a glass-screened laboratory viewable to public visitors, Ms Bamforth's team are working on another Pachyrhinosaurus skull. I watch as they carefully turn the weighty object – heavier than a motorcycle – in readiness to work on part of the fossil last seen when it was removed from the ground 22 years ago. The amount of information shared by these silent fossils is remarkable. Simply by studying the shape of the skull, Ms Bamforth's team has deduced detailed characteristics about the animals' behaviour. Big eye sockets would have allowed for the eye stabilisation seen in modern herd animals. The purpose of individual frill shapes has also been compared to the unique patterns of zebra stripes used by individuals to recognise one another in a big group. Stretching far beyond our limited mental capacity, imaging life several million years ago is almost incomprehensible. But bare bones can reveal a surprisingly complex story. Fleshed out by careful thought, scientific research and a bit of imagination, the struggles, triumphs and daily lives of these ancient creatures are surprisingly relatable. We are, after all, inhabitants of the same home.
NZ Herald
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Auckland Zoo's Dinosaur Discovery Track to wow visitors this winter
'For many of us, including me, dinosaurs are a gateway that lead to a life-long connection to nature and to conservation,' Buley said. 'We hope to inspire new audiences about not just extinct species, we also want to get them excited and motivated about all those wildlife species that are still with us, and now desperately need our help to stop them going the way of the dinosaurs and disappearing forever.' The dinosaur track is located in Burma the elephant's old home, opening up this part of the zoo for the first time since she packed her trunk and moved to Australia. Nineteen different species feature among the life-size creatures that move, roar and even spit water. Kids young and old can also get up close with a Pachyrhinosaurus, a species currently in the news after the Philip J Currie Dinosaur Museum in Canada revealed how thousands of the animals died in a single day at Pipestone Creek. While Pachyrhinosaurus was a herbivore, more scary flesh-eating monsters are featured including the Baryonyx and everyone's favourite, the Tyrannosaurus (T-Rex). There's also a chance to be a real-life palaeontologist taking part in digs, and more up-to-date elements using interactive and digital media. Dinosaur Rangers roam the track, too, and are 'boned-up' on these creatures that lived between 252-66 million years ago. Who thought a trip to the zoo could also include time travel? The Dinosaur Discovery Track is on at Auckland Zoo until October.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
73-million years old Dinosaur mass grave with thousands of fossils found in Canada's 'River of Death'
Image: Reuters world of fossils often moves slowly, bone by bone, layer by layer. But sometimes, certain unique fossils send ripples through the scientific community, giving unknown information about prehistoric life. These moments aren't just about finding ancient skeletons, instead, they're about unlocking stories frozen in time. When fossils are found in large numbers, especially from a single event, they can give a clearer picture of how those creatures lived, moved, and even died. Unlike isolated dinosaur skeletons found scattered across the globe, mass fossil sites tell a tale of migration, survival, and sudden catastrophe. They give a rare peek into a day in the life of the Cretaceous period. For fossil researchers, these locations aren't just dig sites, they're time treasures, giving the kind of evidence that textbooks can't always explain The fossil site in Alberta Alberta's Pipestone Creek, is popularly known as the graveyard of Dinosaurs, because it has a dense layer of dinosaur bones, stretching nearly a kilometre, has been unearthed and it may represent one of the greatest fossil finds in North America. The site, which is dominated by remains of the horned dinosaur Pachyrhinosaurus , is unlike anything researchers have seen before. The fossils are tightly packed, so much so that bones are stacked on top of each other. According to the BBC, 'Jaw-dropping in terms of its density,' is how Professor Emily Bamforth, who leads the excavation, describes it. While some bones are easily recognisable, like ribs or hip bones, others remain a subject for research. She explains that some are 'a great example of a Pipestone Creek mystery.' According to Bamforth, the most likely cause was a sudden flood that wiped out a migrating herd around 73 million years ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch Bitcoin và Ethereum - Không cần ví! IC Markets BẮT ĐẦU NGAY Undo Fossils are vital for understanding Earth's history and the evolution of life. They provide evidence of past organisms, their environments, and how species have changed over time. By studying fossils, scientists can reconstruct ancient ecosystems and understand extinction events. Fossils also help in dating rock layers, offering a timeline of geological and biological events. They give insights into climate changes and continental shifts over millions of years. Moreover, fossils are essential in evolutionary biology, confirming links between species and supporting theories like natural selection. In essence, fossils are time capsules that unlock the story of life on Earth. What is so special about it? The Pipestone Creek is unique because all the bones seem to belong to the same species and the same moment in time. This rare event allows scientists to study an entire group of dinosaurs at once, giving information about the age, size differences, and herd behaviour. Unlike the individual fossil discoveries that reveal skeletons of a single dinosaur, Pipestone provides a population-level perspective that is important for understanding how these animals lived and moved together. So far, only a tennis-court-sized area has been excavated. But with over 8,000 bones catalogued and more fossil-rich ground waiting below, researchers believe this is just the beginning and is being managed by the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, It was however first spotted by a schoolteacher in 1973. Pipestone Creek, is now called the 'River of Death' and is becoming a wellspring of ancient knowledge that may change how we understand dinosaur life forever.
