Thames & Kosmos DIG IT! DINOS GIANT DINOSAUR SKELETON KIT User manual

GIANT DINOSAUR
SKELETON KIT
GIANT DINOSAUR
SKELETON KIT
STEM EXPERIMENT KIT
Contents
© 2018 Franckh-Kosmos
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Project Management: Dr. Mark Bachofer, Linnéa Bergsträsser
Design and Text: Linnéa Bergsträsser
Technical Product Development: Björn Stolpmann
Layout, packaging, instructions, and pre-cut sheet of model pieces,
aswell as all illustrations: Friedrich Werth, Horb
Photos: Skull of Tyrannosaurus rex (Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0 David
Monniaux); Sue (Wikipedia CC BY-SA 2.5 Fritz Geller-Grimm);
tracefossil(Wikipedia CC BY 2.5)
1st English Edition © 2018 Thames & Kosmos, LLC, Providence, RI,
USA
Thames & Kosmos® is a registered trademark of Thames & Kosmos,
LLC.
Editing: Camille Duhamel and Ted McGuire; Additional Graphics: Dan
Freitas
Distributed in North America by Thames & Kosmos, LLC. Providence,
RI 02903; Phone: [phone]; Web: www.thamesandkosmos.com
Distributed in United Kingdom by Thames & Kosmos UK LP. Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3HE; Phone: [phone];
Web: www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk
We reserve the right to make technical changes. Printed in Thailand / Imprimé en Thaïland
 Tyrannosaurus rex
Skeleton Parts with Base
If any parts are missing or
defective, please contact
Thames & Kosmos customer
service:
US: techsupport@
thamesandkosmos.com
UK: techsupport@
thamesandkosmos.co.uk
12468
3579
632120- 02- 060318

WARNING. Not suitable for children under 3 years. Choking hazard — small parts
may be swallowed or inhaled.
Replica: Model is not suited to climb or sit on.
Please keep out of reach of small children.
GIANT DINOSAUR
SKELETON KIT
GIANT DINOSAUR
SKELETON KIT
STEM EXPERIMENT KIT
Dear Kids!
Dear Parents!
Safety Information
The Tyrannosaurus rex is one of the best known dinosaurs from prehistoric times.
This giant carnivore was also one of the largest dinosaurs, and with its massive teeth
it was a fearsome predator.
This kit is designed to
give you fun insight
into the anatomy of
the T. rex. You’ll learn
about the various parts of
theenormous skeleton and how
these parts worked together. You’ll
also learn fun facts about dinosaurs
and their life during the Cretaceous period.
The last section of the instructions explains
how fossils are formed.
And now let’s get started. Begin building the
T. rex skeleton!
This kit offers your child a fun way to discover the world of prehistoric animals. By
assembling the dinosaur skeleton independently and by working with the skeleton
parts, your child will learn about the anatomy of the Tyrannosaurus rex. Your child can
experience hands-on how the skeleton is constructed and will get fascinating insight
into these prehistoric creatures.
Before assembling the skeleton, carefully read the instructions together with your
child, and discuss the safety information. Help your child build the skeleton, and
decide with him or her where to safely display the model.
We hope you and your child have fun putting together the Giant Dinosaur Skeleton!

Assembly of the T. rex Skeleton
First, connect the two
parts of the spinal
column to each other.
This will give you a
sense of the entire
length of your giant
skeleton.
Connect the right and the left
hip joints to the back of the
spine. Put the pieces together,
so that the insertion tab of the
left hip bone is positioned
above the right one.
Connect the right leg to the
right hip bone and the left leg
to the left hip bone.
Now place the T. rex body
carefully on the base by putting
the left leg into the corresponding
notch in the base plate. Make
sure that you put the skeleton
onto the base plate oriented in
the correct direction.
It takes a steady hand and careful work to build the dinosaur skeleton model. Please
handle the parts with care so that they do not break.
2
3
4
1
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4

Now it gets a little complicated.
When putting together the
ribcage, it is important to
assemble the ribsin the right
order. In total, the T. rex has
 rib bones. The part numbers
are molded into the plastic ribs
so you can identify them. They
each have to be placed in the
corresponding slot in the spine.
They are set up as follows:
Start with the smallest rib (part
1), and insert it into the slot
closest to the hip bone.
Then continue inserting more
rib bones, parts 2, 7, 8, and 9,
up the spine. Now the bottom
half of the ribcage is complete.
1
2
7
8
9
6
5
4
3
Next, continue by inserting
part 6, followed by parts 5, 4,
and 3, completing the upper
half of the ribcage.
Check the picture to verify.
5
6
7
STEP 5
STEP 6
STEP 7

FUN FACT In comparison to its body, the T. rex had very short arms.
The reasons for this are debated by paleontologists. Some theories claim that
the short arms with the two sharp claws at the end were used to capture and
hold prey. A different theory says that they played a role in mating or in
rivalry fights. Today, the short arms of the T. rex are the basis of countless
dinosaurjokes.
Assembly of the T. rex Skeleton
STEP 8
STEP 9
STEP 10
Now connect the arms to the
ribs of your dinosaur skeleton
by attaching them to the
frontof the second rib.
The head is assembled from
three parts. Connect the two
parts of the upper jaw with the
lower jaw, but don’t fully push
the parts together yet.
Now put the head over the ball
joint on the neck and then
push the parts of the dinosaur
head together firmly, securing
it around the ball joint.
9
10
8

SDigging Deeper
Our planet looked
different during the time in
which the dinosaurs lived on
Earth, compared to today. The
climate was warmer everywhere
and was very humid. The
continents looked different from
how we know them today, and
together they formed one
massive continent called
Pangea.
DINOSAURS
Ever since the first dinosaur bones were discovered, humans have been
fascinated by the geologic periods of the past. In fact, giant bones, huge
teeth, and strange skeletal forms continue to puzzle scientist to this day.
Unfortunately, no human has ever seen a living dinosaur. These
huge animals went extinct  million years ago. At that time, a large
meteorite crashed into Earth and extinguished almost all living things.
NORTH
AMERICA
SOUTH
AMERICA
AFRICA

S
TYRANNOSAURUS REX
Another fascinating thing about
Tyrannosaurus rex was their teeth. With
more than  teeth, each with a length up
to 8 inches, they could easily rip flesh from
bones and even bite through the bone itself.
T. rex used its long tail to keep its balance
while running. The home of the
Tyrannosaurus rex was in today’s North
America. Currently, about 50 skeletons of
this large dinosaur have been found.
However, they are all only partial
skeletons. So far, no fully preserved
skeleton has been discovered. The most
complete skeleton was found in South
Dakota in 1990. It was named Sue.
TYRANNOSAURUS REX
The name Tyrannosaurus rex means the
king of the tyrant lizards. They lived
during the Cretaceous period and were one
of the largest carnivores that ever existed
on Earth. They were roughly up to 20 feet
tall and up to 42 feet long. With a weight of
over 15,000 pounds, a T. rex was as heavy
as a male elephant.
Our planet looked
different during the time in
which the dinosaurs lived on
Earth, compared to today. The
climate was warmer everywhere
and was very humid. The
continents looked different from
how we know them today, and
together they formed one
massive continent called
Pangea.

S
There are also fossils
known as trace fossils. These
show impressions from animals
and plants, like foot prints or leaf
prints. The oldest discovered
trace fossils are from bacteria.
They are estimated to be 3.4
billion years old!
FOSSILS
Everything we know about dinosaurs
today we know through the discovery
of fossils. It is rare that an animal turns
into a fossil.
The animal has to die in a location
where it is protected from scavengers,
decay, and decomposition. Suitable
locations for this are, for example,
rivers or sea basins. Due to sediment
deposit and environmental changes in
the mud or sand, the body sinks deeper
into the rock. The pressure on the body
increases and water is squeezed out of
it. The organic components are replaced
by minerals from the rocks, resulting in
a copy made of stone. This stone copy
is the fossil.
After more time passes, weathering and
erosion removes the layers of rock
covering the fossil, bringing it to the
surface, and allowing us to find it!