The whole lot Dinosaur has obtained the official picture from Papo of the brand new for 2023 Papo Kronosaurus mannequin. Though no particulars of this new marine reptile determine have been revealed (info stays strictly embargoed), staff members at The whole lot Dinosaur anticipate this determine to have an articulated jaw. It is because of be accessible round quarter 3 (July to September) of 2023.
A Marine Reptile with Barnacles
Eagle-eyed Papo mannequin followers will observe that there are some unusual lumps and bumps seen on the higher arm, the highest of the shoulder and alongside the forefront of the entrance flipper. The whole lot Dinosaur has been ready to make use of the official Papo picture to realize a better view of those options on the marine reptile mannequin. The Kronosaurus has a colony of barnacles.
Parasites and Kronosaurus
Barnacles are a kind of crustacean (Crustacea, from the Arthropoda phylum), they’re typically seen hooked up to the flippers and our bodies of huge whales. It’s thought these whale barnacles developed from barnacles that hooked up themselves to the carapace of marine turtles. Their evolutionary origins are vague, however it’s believed that these kinds of parasitic barnacle developed throughout the Cretaceous, so it’s fairly possible to think about a big marine reptile appearing as a symbiont (dwelling collectively) with a colony of stalkless barnacles, though they do appear comparatively uncommon within the Early Cretaceous fossil document, earlier than radiating and turning into extra specious throughout the Late Cretaceous. Because the fossil document of barnacles dates again to the Carboniferous, an Early Cretaceous marine large comparable to Kronosaurus queenslandicus might have picked up a few of these parasites because it patrolled the ocean that lined a lot of what’s now Australia roughly 115 million years in the past.
Papo Kronosaurus Mannequin
A spokesperson from The whole lot Dinosaur commented:
“While we will’t be sure in regards to the presence of barnacles on a Kronosaurus, these apex predators in all probability suffered from many various kinds of parasite. It’s nice to see Papo including a reproduction of one other sort of marine reptile to their mannequin vary.”
The spokesperson additionally confirmed that the Papo Kronosaurus determine was due in inventory round quarter 3 (July to September) of 2023.
To view the vary of Papo prehistoric animal fashions and figures accessible from The whole lot Dinosaur: Papo Prehistoric Animal Fashions and Figures.