This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2010) |
Astrosaurs is a series of children's science fiction novels written by Steve Cole, which have been released since 2005. The main characters are space-going dinosaurs named Teggs Stegosaur (a Stegosaurus ), Gipsy Saurine (a Hadrosaur ), Arx Orano (a Triceratops ) and Iggy Tooth (an Iguanodon ). The series are published by Random House. The first two Astrosaurs books were released on 1 February 2005, with over twenty books following. The Teeth of the T. Rex was a special edition book written especially for World Book Day. Free trading cards come with each Astrosaur book, featuring foes, weapons, crew members, ships, aliens and many other characters and things found in the relevant book, with a set of 'bonus cards' available to order from the Steve Cole website, which are now believed to have gone out of print, and featured characters from the first eight books. The World Book Day title The Teeth of the T. Rex does not include cards, and is much shorter than the other books. The first five Astrosaurs books have now been released in Audiobook format on CD in the UK. The series is a huge hit with children nationwide. Beginning in late 2010, the books have been re-released with new cover artwork. Currently, books 12–15 are the only ones not to have been given the new covers. Woody Fox is the illustrator on every Astrosaurs book, who also draws the illustrations for the trading cards, with Charlie Fawkes having designed the Astrosaurs logo, consisting of the word 'ASTROSAURS' with the four main characters above it.
The broad plot synopsis of the Astrosaurs series is that the dinosaurs were not in fact wiped out when a large meteor hit the earth millions of years ago; they had in fact discovered space travel during the Triassic period and had already left earth by the time the meteor struck. The dinosaurs subsequently settled in a part of space called the Jurassic Quadrant, which is divided between the carnivores and herbivores; between the two sectors is a neutral area of space. The two factions broadly stay at peace by avoiding each other, but invariably trouble flares up between the two from time to time. Admiral Rosso, a 'crusty old Barosaurus', employs Teggs to work for the DSS (Dinosaur Space Service) in the first book and introduces him to his crew, which includes Arx Orano, Iggy Tooth and Gipsy Saurine, along with fifty Dimorphodon . In Earth Attack, which is notable for being an extra-long edition, General Loki the Velociraptor goes back in time to try and prevent the dinosaurs leaving Earth, so the whole history of Astrosaurs would never have happened. However, he is stopped.
Name | Description |
---|---|
Captain Teggs Horatio Stegosaur | Captain Teggs Horatio Stegosaur, a Stegosaurus from the planet Steggos, is an elite Astrosaur in the Dinosaur Space Service (DSS) and the captain of the DSS Sauropod. Headstrong and brave, Captain Teggs' love of adventure is matched only by his love of food. Teggs battle armour includes a special electric shock in the spike in his tail, which can be used to stun his enemies in a fight. He was made captain by Admiral Rosso. |
Arx Longhorn Orano | Arx Longhorn Orano, a Triceratops from the planet Tri Major, is the first officer on the DSS Sauropod. He is the oldest member of the crew, at 52, and by far the brainiest. When the crew run into a sticky situation, Arx is usually the crew member who figures out the solution to the problem. Even so, he can run into dangers like cutting his leg on a megalodon tooth in The Terror-Bird Trap. Arx became a baby in The Twist of Time, but the effect was reversed by cold time-water. |
Iggadoo Tooth ("Iggy") | Iggadoo Tooth (or "Iggy"), an Iguanodon from the planet Iguanos, is the chief engineer on the DSS Sauropod. As well as being a brilliant mechanic, Iggy has thumb spikes and stun claws on his battle armour making him a doughty fighter. He is the second-oldest, of 26. Also a good friend of Arx. His favourite weapons are his trusty stun claws. His brother Wimvis is also a mechanic. |
Gipsy Saurine | Gipsy Saurine, a Corythosaurus from the planet Corythos, is the communications officer on board the DSS Sauropod. She is the only female member of the crew, and at 21 is also the youngest (excluding Sprite). She speaks almost every dinosaur language, which is immeasurably helpful on the crew's missions. On more than one occasion, she and Teggs have shown affection toward each other. |
Sprrti-aaaat**o ("Sprite") | Sprite is a Dimorphodon from the planet Dimorphia. He is the leader of the dimorphodon flight crew. Up until The Skies of Fear, Sprite is a peripheral figure, rarely referred to in the background. Afterwards he plays an increasing role in the books, and in The Star Pirates he accompanies the primary crew on a mission and is actually referred as being an Astrosaur himself. Sprite is 16. In earlier books only Gipsy could communicate with him, but in The Star Pirates he has a conversation with Teggs where Teggs speak in whistles and Sprite speaks in cheeps and whistles that Teggs can understand. |
The Dimorphodon | Fifty Dimorphodon, flying reptiles from the Jurassic period, pilot the DSS Sauropod. Sprite is their leader. |
Others | Terri Alarmosaurus, the alarm pterosaur, is a warning bell in effect, who warns the crew of danger. Alass Tikka is the leader of several Ankylosaurus who form the security element of the crew. |
Title | Published |
---|---|
Riddle of the Raptors | 1 February 2005 |
The Hatching Horror | 1 February 2005 |
The Seas of Doom | 5 May 2005 |
The Mind-Swap Menace | 4 August 2005 |
The Skies of Fear | 5 January 2006 |
The Space Ghosts | 2 March 2006 |
The Day of the Dino Droids | 1 June 2006 |
The Terror Bird Trap | 3 August 2006 |
Teeth of the T-Rex | 1 March 2007 |
The Planet of Peril | 5 April 2007 |
The Star Pirates | 7 June 2007 |
The Claws of Christmas | 4 October 2007 |
The Sun Snatchers | 7 February 2008 |
Revenge of the FANG | 7 August 2008 |
The Carnivore Curse | 1 January 2009 |
The Dreams of Dread | 7 May 2009 |
The Robot Raiders | 4 February 2010 |
The Twist of Time | 29 April 2010 |
The Sabre-Tooth Secret | 3 February 2011 |
The Forest of Evil | 4 August 2011 |
Earth Attack! | 6 October 2011 |
The T.rex Invasion | 26 April 2012 |
The Castle of Frankensaur | 30 August 2012 |
The Dinosaur Moo-tants | Autumn 2013, featuring the Cows in Action |
A spin-off series of Astrosaurs started on 1 May 2008. This series focuses on Teggs Stegosaur in Astrosaurs Academy, it is based before Teggs becomes an Astrosaur. In Astrosaurs Academy, Teggs has two best friends, Blink and Dutch. Gipsy, Arx and Iggy do not appear in this series. The series ended with Space Kidnap on 3 March 2011.
Destination: Danger: Published – 1 May 2008
Contest Carnage: Published – 1 May 2008
Terror Underground: Published – 4 September 2008
Jungle Horror: Published – 5 February 2009
Deadly Drama: Published – 2 July 2009
Christmas Crisis: Published – 1 October 2009
Volcano Invaders: Published – 1 April 2010
Space Kidnap: Published – 3 March 2011
Amanda Craig, writing in the Times, described it as "the kind of inspired, hysterically silly fantasy that boys adore". [1]
Mars Attacks is a science fiction-themed trading card series released in 1962 by Topps. The cards feature artwork by science fiction artists Wally Wood and Norman Saunders. The cards form a story arc, which tells of the invasion of Earth by cruel, hideous Martians under the command of a corrupt Martian government who conceal the fact from the Martian populace that Mars is doomed to explode and, therefore, proposes colonization of Earth to turn it into their new homeworld. The cards depict futuristic battle scenes and bizarre methods of Martian attack, torture and slaughter of humans, as well as various Earth nations being attacked. The story concludes with an expeditionary force of humans volunteering to embark on a counterattack on Mars, in which the Earth force attacks the Martians in their manner. This necessitates the Martians that are still on Mars to defend their homeworld. The Earth attack forces, after destroying the Martian cities and killing the Martians, depart just before Mars is destroyed in the predicted cataclysm, thus ensuring the peace and safety of Earth as the Martian race is seemingly doomed to extinction.
Tyrannosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The type species Tyrannosaurus rex, often shortened to T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It lived throughout what is now western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Tyrannosaurus had a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. Fossils are found in a variety of rock formations dating to the latest Campanian-Maastrichtian ages of the late Cretaceous period, 72.7 to 66 million years ago. It was the last known member of the tyrannosaurids and among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.
Stegosaurus is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been found in the western United States and in Portugal, where they are found in Kimmeridgian- to Tithonian-aged strata, dating to between 155 and 145 million years ago. Of the species that have been classified in the upper Morrison Formation of the western US, only three are universally recognized: S. stenops, S. ungulatus and S. sulcatus. The remains of over 80 individual animals of this genus have been found. Stegosaurus would have lived alongside dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Camarasaurus and Allosaurus, the latter of which may have preyed on it.
Ornithischia is an extinct clade of mainly herbivorous dinosaurs characterized by a pelvic structure superficially similar to that of birds. The name Ornithischia, or "bird-hipped", reflects this similarity and is derived from the Greek stem ornith- (ὀρνιθ-), meaning "bird", and ischion (ἴσχιον), meaning "hip". However, birds are only distantly related to this group, as birds are theropod dinosaurs. Ornithischians with well known anatomical adaptations include the ceratopsians or "horn-faced" dinosaurs, the pachycephalosaurs or "thick-headed" dinosaurs, the armored dinosaurs (Thyreophora) such as stegosaurs and ankylosaurs, and the ornithopods. There is strong evidence that certain groups of ornithischians lived in herds, often segregated by age group, with juveniles forming their own flocks separate from adults. Some were at least partially covered in filamentous pelts, and there is much debate over whether these filaments found in specimens of Tianyulong, Psittacosaurus, and Kulindadromeus may have been primitive feathers.
Kentrosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic in Lindi Region of Tanzania. The type species is K. aethiopicus, named and described by German palaeontologist Edwin Hennig in 1915. Often thought to be a "primitive" member of the Stegosauria, several recent cladistic analyses find it as more derived than many other stegosaurs, and a close relative of Stegosaurus from the North American Morrison Formation within the Stegosauridae.
Hesperosaurus is a herbivorous stegosaurian dinosaur from the Kimmeridgian age of the Jurassic period, approximately 156 million years ago.
Saurornitholestes is a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous of Canada (Alberta) and the United States.
Stephen Cole is an English author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999 and as executive producer on the Big Finish Productions range of Doctor Who audio dramas.
Dinosaur King is a Japanese card-based arcade game from Sega that uses similar gameplay mechanics to Mushiking. The game was revealed in JAMMA 2005. A Nintendo DS version was also later released.
Anthodon is an extinct genus of pareiasaur parareptile from the Permian period of South Africa and Tanzania.
Paranthodon is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur that lived in what is now South Africa during the Early Cretaceous, between 139 and 131 million years ago. Discovered in 1845, it was one of the first stegosaurians found. Its only remains, a partial skull, isolated teeth, and fragments of vertebrae, were found in the Kirkwood Formation. British paleontologist Richard Owen initially identified the fragments as those of the pareiasaur Anthodon. After remaining untouched for years in the British Museum of Natural History, the partial skull was identified by South African paleontologist Robert Broom as belonging to a different genus; he named the specimen Palaeoscincus africanus. Several years later, Hungarian paleontologist Franz Nopcsa, unaware of Broom's new name, similarly concluded that it represented a new taxon, and named it Paranthodon owenii. Since Nopcsa's species name was assigned after Broom's, and Broom did not assign a new genus, both names are now synonyms of the current binomial, Paranthodon africanus. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek para (near) with the genus name Anthodon, to represent the initial referral of the remains.
Stegosauria is a group of herbivorous ornithischian dinosaurs that lived during the Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods. Stegosaurian fossils have been found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere, predominantly in what is now North America, Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. Their geographical origins are unclear; the earliest unequivocal stegosaurian, Bashanosaurus primitivus, was found in the Bathonian Shaximiao Formation of China.
Laurie Keller is an American children's writer and illustrator. She has written and illustrated books for Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers, and produced illustrations for others.
Stephen Louis "Steve" Brusatte FRSE is an American paleontologist, author, and evolutionary biologist who specializes in the anatomy and evolution of dinosaurs. He was educated at the University of Chicago for his Bachelor's degree, at the University of Bristol for his Master's of Science on a Marshall Scholarship, and finally at the Columbia University for Master's in Philosophy and Doctorate. He is currently Professor of Palaeontology and Evolution at the University of Edinburgh. In April 2024, Brusatte was elected to fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Stegosaurus is one of the most recognizable types among cultural depictions of dinosaurs. It has been depicted on film, in cartoons, comics, as children's toys, as sculpture, and even was declared the state dinosaur of Colorado in 1982. Stegosaurus is a subject for inclusion in dinosaur toy and scale model lines, such as the Carnegie Collection.
Jurassic Park III: Dino Defender is a 2001 side-scrolling video game developed and published by Knowledge Adventure. It is based on the 2001 film Jurassic Park III. The player is depicted as a person in a bio-mechanical suit hired by Jurassic Park to bring power back to the electrified fences and capture all the free-roaming dinosaurs.
Jiangjunosaurus is a genus of herbivorous stegosaurian dinosaur from the Oxfordian-age Shishugou Formation of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China.
Xtractaurs is a line of toys by Mattel. Introduced in 2009, the brand is a fusion of regular action figures with an online game. It involves taking a dinosaur and extracting "DNA" samples from the dinosaur and analyzing it on your computer, similar in a way to the book and film Jurassic Park. If you own multiple dinosaurs and have extracted samples from all of them, you can create a genetically engineered hybrid on the computer to battle the "Megavores", ancient reawakened dinosaurs that share qualities with your dinosaur. Each dinosaur you purchase has a special ability, and combining them makes a fierce fighting animal. This encourages the fusion of certain samples even more.
This timeline of stegosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the stegosaurs, the iconic plate-backed, spike-tailed herbivorous eurypod dinosaurs that predominated during the Jurassic period. The first scientifically documented stegosaur remains were recovered from Early Cretaceous strata in England during the mid-19th century. However, they would not be recognized as a distinct group of dinosaurs until Othniel Charles Marsh described the new genus and species Stegosaurus armatus in 1877, which he regarded as the founding member of the Stegosauria. This new taxon originally included all armored dinosaurs. It was not until 1927 that Alfred Sherwood Romer implemented the modern use of the name Stegosauria as specifically pertaining to the plate-backed and spike-tailed dinosaurs.