Review of Procon-Collecta Sarcosuchus Model (Model of a Giant Prehistoric Crocodile) By Mike Walley

One of the great pleasures of collecting dinosaur and prehistoric animal models is being able to pick up models that represent the more unusual and spectacular creatures from the known fossil record. As a fan of crocodilians it is always exciting to hear of a new model of a prehistoric crocodile being introduced. Crocodiles are quite under represented in the world of prehistoric animal model collecting. Certainly, given the fact that the basic crocodile body plan has been in existence for at least 200 million years, only a few manufacturers have produced models of prehistoric crocodiles. Schleich introduced a Deinosuchus (means Terrible Crocodile) model a few years ago, but this was officially retired after just 24 months and so has become quite rare. Safari Carnegie introduced a model of Deinosuchus in 1996 and it is pleasing to say that this 22 cm model is still in production.

However, as far as we can recall, no manufacturer has introduced a model of Sarcosuchus (Flesh Crocodile), until now with the introduction of the Sarcosuchus model from Procon/Collecta. The Sarcosuchus represents a trend from the company to depart from the classical dinosaur models and introduce models of other prehistoric animals. We hope that this trends continues as the Superorder Dinosauria only represents part of the mega fauna of the Mesozoic.

The Sarcosuchus model is brown and mottled in appearance. Care has been taken to show the heavy armour plate on the animal's back (scutes) and the triangular armour that ran down the tail. Sarcosuchus is posed in a typical crocodilian semi-erect stance, the tail is slightly bent and the jaws open revealing nice mouth details and well-painted conical teeth. As with all Procon/Collecta models, the Sarcosuchus has been created by referring to real experts. Team members at Everything Dinosaur have provided advice on a number of models and we appreciate the trouble taken by the manufacturer to get the detailing as accurate as possible. For example, it is nice to see the correct number of digits displayed on the hind and front feet.

The snout even has a reasonable interpretation of the strange depression at the tip (the bulla). Sarcosuchus is one of the very few large fossil crocodile genera with almost complete skull material known. Scientists are unsure as to the function of the bulla. It could have helped the animal's sense of smell or perhaps to vocalise calls.

Fossils of this prehistoric crocodile have been found in Niger (Africa), they date from approximately 112-110 million years ago (Cretaceous). Although it is difficult to accurately assess the maximum size of this animal, palaeontologists have estimated that it could have reached lengths of 12 metres or more and weighed as much as 8,000 kilogrammes.

Although this model is not to scale, it does measure more than 20 cm long and is nicely detailed and a fair representation of the latest thinking regarding this ancient, prehistoric animal. The Sarcosuchus model makes a great addition to a model fan's collection and is priced very reasonably making it very affordable and suitable for school and home projects.

In order to protect the jaws, the model is supplied by Everything Dinosaur with padding wrapped around the mouth, it looks like Sarcosuchus is chomping on a giant marshmallow. Add him to your collection and depict him attacking Iguanodontids as they come down to the river to drink.

Everything Dinosaur is a company run by parents, teachers and real dinosaur experts. It specialises in developing educational dinosaur toys, models, clothing and games and strives to help young people learn more about science through their fascination with prehistoric animals. Many of the items featured on the Everything Dinosaur website http://everythingdinosaur.com/ have been designed and tested by the teachers and real dinosaur experts in the company.

To learn more about the products and services we offer at Everything Dinosaur click on our website links.

Our aim is to help young people learn more about Earth sciences through their fascination with dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. Team members are happy to provide advice and support supplying free quizzes, drawing materials, puzzles, games even recipes for dinosaur themed biscuits and birthday cakes. With something like 600 products on line including dinosaur party supplies, Everything Dinosaur http://everythingdinosaur.com/ has built up a strong reputation assisting parents, guardians and fellow teachers, helping young people to learn more about science through creative play.

Sailors and Their Big Time Balls By Kris Jackson

On the last day of 1907, a crowd gathered in New York City's Times Square. They were there to witness a special event which continues to this day. For this was the first time the New Year's Eve Ball on the flagpole atop One Times Square was dropped to bring in the new year. But long before this became an annual event, other "time balls" around the world were in use daily to announce the local time.

The idea for dropping a ball to signal an exact time was first suggested by Royal Navy Captain Robert Wauchope in 1818. Like all sailors he relied on the accuracy of his ship's chronograph to keep time for navigation purposes. So naturally it was helpful to have an accurate reference to occasionally check the chronograph.

Captain Wauchope's suggestion was to have a ball dropped down a pole at a certain time every day. The pole would be mounted high enough for the ball drop to be seen by ships in the harbor. Like most large organizations, the British Admiralty moved slowly and it wasn't until 1829, that the first time ball was installed at Portsmouth England. And despite its success, it was another four years before the second time ball was installed atop England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich.

Although the original wooden ball used at Greenwich was replaced by an aluminum version in 1919, the tradition was left unchanged. So every day (barring high winds) at precisely one o'clock the bright red Greenwich Time Ball drops. And unlike the Times Square Ball, but like other true time balls, the time is signaled when the ball is released, not when it reaches the bottom of the pole.

The British Navy wasn't the only military force which liked Captain Wauchope's idea. In 1830, Wauchope wrote the United States Government and suggested they too could benefit from the use of time balls. But much like the Royal Navy, the U.S. Navy was slow to act on the idea.

The U.S. Naval Observatory, which was built in 1844, had the responsibility for maintaining the accuracy of the Navy's chronometers. At the instruction of the Secretary of the Navy, the first American time ball was installed atop the Observatory in 1845. The time ball was dropped daily at Noon for the benefit of the ships in the Potomac River as well as Washington's citizens.

Later, with the spread of the telegraph, the Observatory was able to transmit the accurate time across the country. It also connected to other observatories to help refine the measurement of longitude.

As technology created the means to provide instant communication over a wide area, time balls lost their value. From the first radio time signal generated in 1904 to the satellite signals provided by the Naval Observatory today, access to accurate time is everywhere. And with the Observatory's system of atomic clocks, the most demanding needs for accuracy can be met. Its current generation of clocks will lose or gain no more than one second in 30 million years.

Time balls signal the hour only once a day. But if you want to find out what time it is more often, check out an elegant woman's watch at http://www.MovadoAmorosa.com