I’m fascinated by how depictions of prehistoric animals change over time in the face of new evidence. This is the theme of my recent children’s book, The Tyrannosaur’s Feathers, which focusses on T. rex as a case study for this ‘make-over’ phenomenon. However, while the appearance of some prehistoric creatures, T. rex included, has gradually shifted over many decades, some prehistoric creatures have undergone drastic overnight reinterpretations. Atopodentatus is one of those creatures, and this makes the short-lived ‘version 1’ Paleo-Creatures depiction of this marine reptile a curious snap-shot of the stochastic palaeontological process.
Atopodentatus was described in 2014 from the Triassic of China based on an almost complete skeleton with a skull, which seemed to show a hooked snout with an unusual zipper-like slit. For two short years this is how the animal was depicted, and in 2016 Jesús Toledo, better know as Jetoar on our DinoToyForum, released this figure for his Paleo-Creatures line. But cruelly, even while he was sculpting, Atopodentatus was getting an overhaul. New skulls of the animal, described that same year, showed how the hooked zipper snout was wrong, the original fossil was crushed. Instead, the snout of Atopodentatus was actually expanded into a broad hammer like shape, also rather bizarre, enough to justify the name “Unusually Toothed”, but maybe a little less so than the original interpretation.
So, the figure we’re considering today is a faithful restoration of Atopodentatus circa 2014. At 13 cm long the animal is 1:20 scale. The figurine and the base are both cast in a polyurethane resin, surprisingly lightweight. The figure is not fixed to the base, it just rests on it. The body is a more or less generic reptilian form, with a tubbier than usual torso. Modern depictions give it a longer more slender body. The hands and feet have the correct number of digits, five on each, with the impression of webbing.
The base is a rocky platform on a shoreline, with waves washing up against it. The creature looks at home resting on the rocks, looking out to the choppy sea, dwelling on the existential crisis she’s about to face (I like to think). The underside of the base is embossed with the animal name, scale, and brand.
The sculpting detail and texture isn’t quite as refined as modern established brands, so there’s a mild but enjoyable cartoonish quality to the model. For example, there are only four teeth picked out on each side of the slit. The model is hand-painted in grey and blue with stripes on the tail, with black claws and details on the head (to make the mouth more pronounced), golden eyes, and white teeth.
In 2017, Paleo-Creations modified this Atopodentatus sculpture to account for the new evidence, broadening out the snout into a hammer-like shape and removing the erroneous slit. I don’t have that version to compare directly – maybe one day. But, honestly, I quite like having this short-lived time capsule of an interpretation. I like my figures accurately inaccurate. Obviously this version was immediately discontinued when it was replaced in 2017, so I have a real collector’s item on my hands. That said, I don’t think any version is available anymore.
The Paleo-Creatures line used to be available on Everything Dinosaur and Dan’s Dinosaurs, but apparently not any more, so the line seems to have been discontinued. Maybe Jetoar can update us if he reads this.
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