Review of the Wild Safari Dinos Mosasaurus Model

Wild Safari Dinos Mosasaurus

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A new introduction into the popular Wild Safari Dinos range is the Mosasaurus model, based on the Late Cretaceous marine predators. Although, the Mosasaurs are actually more closely related to lizards and snakes than to dinosaurs, this does not seem to deter the artists and sculptors at Safari Ltd, who have now developed this range to include almost as many non-Dinosauria models as there are actual models of dinosaurs.

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The Mosasaurus measures a little over 23cm long, from the tip of the snout to the very end of the tail, this measurement is slightly longer than the official size given, but if a tape measure is held over the Mosasaurus, then it does come out a little bigger than stated in the official Safari Carnegie press information. The painting is as expected up to the high standards of Safari Ltd and the typical open-mouthed pose of the model displays a nice paint job around the snout, jaws and the eyes. The jaws are a little bendy, not as robust as in the Carnegie scale model of the Tylosaurus from the same manufacturer, but they are unlikely to break unless subjected to extremely rough handling. Ironically, as one of the last of the Mosasaurs to evolve, the likes of Mosasaurus hoffmanni upon which we assume this model is based, had a very strong and powerful set of jaws with one of the strongest bites of any member of the Mosasaur clade. The model is painted a light blue in the main, with lighter, off-white shading on the underside. The tail represents about forty percent of the entire animal's length, this is in keeping with the fossil evidence. The tail broadens out to form a blade, an aid to help this marine reptile propel itself through its ocean habitat. However, whether Mosasaurus had a broad tail is open to conjecture, indeed a recent paper submitted by a team of scientists from North America suggested that Mosasaurs, like the earlier Ichthyosaurs actually had fish-like tail fins. Unfortunately, the known fossil record does not provide firm evidence of a presence of a fish-tail like structure, this is despite the wealth of Mosasaur fossil material available for study.

A Well Balanced Replica Mosasaurus

Despite being longer than the earlier Safari Mosasaurus model, (the earlier version was retired around 2001), this new version balances well, and the wide flippers provide plenty of support. The body is sculpted in a slightly undulating pose, although in reality, most scientists assume this animal moved rather like a snake or a freshwater monitor lizard (side-ways movements of the body). The eye is dark, but quite large, again reflecting the morphology of the Mosasaur skull material, the addition of a tiny white fleck of paint gives the appearance of the eye a very life-like quality. The model is very tactile and well suited to the small hands of children and we suspect this replica will become a firm favourite amongst young dinosaur fans.

Review of the Wild Safari Dinos Mosasaurus Model

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