| For the Dinosaur connoisseur and collector, you will find | | | | of a baby Tyrannosaurus rex which will be mounted in |
| what you have been looking for at Dinosaur Model | | | | the new Dinosaur Galleries with Thomas and an |
| The creator of all the works featured on this site is not | | | | intermediate specimen as an illustration of age |
| only a gifted sculptor, but actually works with dinosaur | | | | progression. The actual specimen is only known from |
| fossils as a paleontological reconstruction artist, fossil | | | | a skull fragment from the snout of what is believed to |
| preparator, and field technician at the Natural History | | | | be from a two-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex. There |
| Museum of Los Angeles. His artwork is based on the | | | | are no post cranial remains, and there are only a |
| latest scientific research, real fossil material, and years | | | | handful of examples that are believed to be that of |
| of hands on experience. This is why the work | | | | baby dinosaurs. This project has just begun, and with |
| featured is regarded as some of the most scientifically | | | | Dr. Chiappe Doyle will be making history in presenting |
| accurate available to the public. | | | | the worlds only mounted baby Tyrannosaurus rex |
| The new Dinosaur Galleries at the Natural History | | | | specimen. |
| Museum of Los Angeles will feature many of the | | | | Fall of 2009 marked one of the biggest Paleontology |
| artist's creations. Most notable is the baby | | | | news splashes, featuring N. America's smallest |
| Tyrannosaurus rex estimated to have been two years | | | | dinosaur, Fruitadens haagarorum. It is thought that |
| old when it died, for which nearly ninety percent of the | | | | the animal might have weighed as little as two pounds |
| skeleton will be recreated for this mount. This | | | | and measured only 28 inches in length. Fruitadens |
| sculpted reconstruction will be featured with two real | | | | was discovered in Colorado in the late 1970s in a |
| T-Rex specimens, one a six-year old, and the other | | | | geological formation known as the Morrison, more |
| the sub adult specimen named "Thomas" which Doyle | | | | specifically in an area called Fruita, for which the |
| Trankina helped collect, and prepare. Thomas is | | | | specimen was named after. Nearly 150 million year |
| estimated to be about seventy percent complete, | | | | old, the tiny Fruitadens would have shared its life with |
| making it one of the top five most complete in the | | | | such titanic beasts as Brachiosaursus, and Allosaurus |
| world. Our initial offering will be a series of cast resin | | | | in the late Jurassic. |
| models and limited edition bronze sculptures with both | | | | Fruitadens belongs to a family of early dinosaurs called |
| a highly detailed exterior view, and a rendition of the | | | | heterodontosaurids, which share many interesting |
| internal skeletal anatomy of an adolescent T-Rex | | | | features, one of which are the teeth. Fruitadens like |
| similar to the Thomas find. | | | | other heterodontisaurids have varied dentition, and in |
| As part of the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History | | | | the front of the mouth sits a canine like tooth on the |
| Museum of Los Angeles Doyle Trankina has attended | | | | lower jaw. The strange dentition of this animal implies |
| several field excavations in Montana Utah, and | | | | that Fruitadens might have been omnivorous, eating |
| Mojave. While in the field Doyle prospected, and | | | | plants and at least insects if not small vertebrates. |
| assisted in the collection of several specimens, most | | | | Doyle has produced the first and most accurate |
| notably Thomas the sub adult Tyrannosaurus Rex that | | | | illustrated and sculpted reconstructions of this animal. |
| will be gracing the museums new Dinosaur Gallery in | | | | His work was featured on every major news source |
| 2011. Through his experiences with the museum with | | | | in the world, and five of the sculpted Fruitaden will be |
| his private obsession with prehistoric life and the | | | | featured in the new galleries in 2011. In his studio, |
| natural world, Doyle has produced several sculptures | | | | Doyle is currently working on a ½ scale Fruitaden, |
| and illustrations for exhibition and publication. Doyle | | | | which will be approximately 30cm long . This will be |
| has an extensive list of sculptures to produce over the | | | | the only scaled sculpture of the animal, and the first |
| next two years. His work will require lots of | | | | and only for sale. The full scale version is not for sale |
| observational study from the museum's collection, and | | | | and can only be seen at the Museum. |
| extensive extrapolation based on the latest research, | | | | Doyle is also concurrently working on Mamenchisaurus, |
| and modern analogues like birds, and crocodiles. | | | | a long neck dinosaur and part of the branch of |
| After completing the preparation of Thomas, Doyle | | | | Sauriscian (lizard hipped dinosaurs) known as |
| embarked on a half skeletal, half flesh reconstruction | | | | Sauropods. The rare skull was found in China and |
| of an adolescent Tyrannosaurus Rex at 1;24th scale. | | | | researchers provided a paper with a detailed |
| The teeth were surfaced to provide the accurate | | | | description and several scientific illustrations. |
| thickness and semblance to where the tinny serrations | | | | Sauropod skulls are rare because they are so frail in |
| would have lined the many teeth. Because the | | | | construction, have several small bones that usually |
| position of the serrations actually change on the teeth | | | | disarticulated some time after the animal dies, and are |
| as they move back towards the throat, the ridge | | | | not commonly preserved in fossilization, or are so |
| implies the appropriate location of the serrations. The | | | | disarticulated and in such small pieces that they are |
| scales were carved individually so that the skin wraps | | | | nearly impossible to find. As the prospects of |
| around the form in a realistic, and accurate way. The | | | | obtaining a casting of the Chinese mamenchisaur skull |
| detail and fidelity to the skeleton was accomplished by | | | | proved too difficult, Doyle was charged with the task |
| long study of the anatomy from several existing | | | | of reconstructing the skull from two dimensional |
| mounts, scientific publications, and photographs from | | | | reference and other dinosaurs like Camarasaurus for |
| the some of the best Tyrannosaurus specimens. | | | | comparison, and to gain familiarirty with Sauropod skull |
| Doyle is currently working on a skeletal reconstruction | | | | anatomy. |