Utahceratops

Utahceratops grazing

Utahceratops was found... can you guess?  Yes, in Utah.  In fact it was found in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.  This animal has similar appearance to a Triceratops, although it was quite a bit smaller.  Utahceratops was 6.6 feet or 2 meters tall.  It was 23 feet or 7 meters long,  Its name means horned face from Utah.  Cetatops means horned face in Greek.   Utahceratops is thought to weigh up to 8,800 lbs... or have a mass of around 4,000 kg.

Utahceratops had much smaller horns than Triceratops.  Utahceratops brow horns faced somewhat
out to the side rather than forward like a full grown Triceratops brow horns.  The naris or nasal cavities or nostrils of Utahceratops were well in front of the nose horn.

Triceratops may have weighed up to 28,000 lbs or a mass of 12,500 kg.  Still, an 8,800 pound Utahceratops was no wimp.   The Ceratopsian dinosaurs were probably browsers who ate leaves from bushes and ferns.  But recent evidence shows that grass was very common by the late Cretaceous Period so the Ceratopsians certainly grazed on grass as well. 

 Adult Triceratops with forward facing Horns

Jackalope

Jackalope

Jackalopes are mythical creatures of North America.  There are many stories about them.  Jackalope milk is said to have magical powers.  Jackalopes can run extremely fast and are capable of defending themselves with their antlers.  The Jackalope song is said to be sweet and beautiful and can be heard at night in the Western American deserts, parries, and mountain valleys.  I heard a joke once that Jackalope milk is a good source of Vitamin P.  In fact, it has more Vitamin P than watermelon.

Horned rabbits are mentioned in middle ages stories out of Europe as well.  But the first Jackalope mounts appeared in Douglas, Wyoming in the 1930s.  The state legislature of Wyoming has considered making the Jackalope the official State Mythological Creature.  The Wyoming lottery has a mascot who is YoLo the Jackalope.

In Dubois, Wyoming there is a Jackalope museum of sorts at a convenience store.  They have a giant Jackalope that you can mount for photos. They named their Mega Jackalope YoLo.  The below photo
is me on that Jackalope.

Mega Jackalope YoLo and Robin

Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion

Wooden Sailing Ship at Bristol Harbor 

New Drawing at bottom of lists. . . click on Religion button above.

One of our Latter Day Saint apostles gave a talk a while back about being Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion.  This is an  idiom from Bristol England...  The apostle was Quentin Cook.  He had served a mission in Bristol England and one of the local leaders said missionaries needed to be "Ship shape and Bristol fashion."  You see, Bristol Harbor was once the second busiest harbor in England.  The tide there is quite severe.  It has a range of 45 feet or 14 meters.  This meant that ships needed to be strong and ready to be beached by the low tide.  The ships would nearly fall over onto their side.  So not only did the ships' hulls need to be very strong, everything on  board had to be tied down and secured or it would fall over or spill etc.  So the idiom "ship shape and Bristol Fashion" came into being from what ships went through at Bristol Harbor.

So what is an idiom?  It is a saying that means something that is not literal.  In some parts of the USA the phrase "kick the bucket" means "someone died."  There are idioms in some other languages.  For example, "patiar sus tenis" translates from Spanish literally to:  "hung his tennis shoes" but the idiom means "he died". . . so he doesn't need his tennis shoes anymore.  

So what the idiom "Ship shape and Bristol Fashion" means to me is that we need to be ready in life for trials.  If we are strong we can get through the trials.   Of course we are strongest when our Savior Jesus is helping us through the trials.  So we should stay close to the Lord when times are good and He will be there for us when times get tough.   Another thought. . . when times do get tough. . . and they will. . . we need to make a decision.  All believers make this decision when we face trials in life.   We can either get angry at God or turn to Him.  I can tell you that you will have trials either way.  But you will do better through the trials if you are getting help from God.  So  I think I will also retell my story...

After a failed surgery at a major hospital in Boston my surgeon walked into my room and told me, "I'm very sorry Mr. Lyman, but you're not going to make it.  I was stunned. . . Then after the doctor walked out the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit spoke to my mind or my spirit and said, "It's OK to go, but if you want to stay (on Earth) I will help you but it won't be easy.  So, I still had a 13 year old at home.  That was my first thought, and my older kids also needed me. . . and I wanted to be with my loving wife, so I chose to stay.  My trachea had a 1 x 5 cm hole in it.  I should have died of infection soon, but instead tissue grew into the surgical mesh that had migrated and caused the hole and the new growth tissue sealed up the hole.  The mesh continues to cut my trachea everyday. . . but I am still alive 12 years later. Only divine intervention could have saved me.  This was to me proof that God cares for me and loves me.  I also view this experience as proof that God loves us and He gets involved in all our lives and at times intervenes for our good.

So I try to be good, serve others, and I have faith that our Savior will one day welcome me into His kingdom on high.  I am trying to stick around as long as I can here on Earth. . . I try not to complain because when I was given the choice to stay or go I was warned that it would not be easy. . . so if I whine about the pain etc. God might rescind the deal.  I am hoping to stay spiritually ship shape and Bristol fashion.  My body is clearly NOT ship shape, but God seems to be holding it together. 

Jesus outside Jerusalem after His Resurrection
New Drawing

We believe that because of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection we all one day will be resurrected with perfect bodies. . . no trach tubes or surgical mesh etc.  I have looked at drawings and paintings of Jesus after His resurrection and today I was thinking that maybe we artists should not be drawing a 33 year old's hairline.  After all, the scriptures say that not a hair of our head shall be lost.  

I wrote about the above man before, shortly after his death.  Brother Cook was a man who was disabled for many years, but he did not give up on serving.  We believe in our church that people can be baptized by proxy for those who did not have a chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ while on the Earth.  So we search for genealogical records and do baptisms in our temples for those who have passed on and who now live as spirits in the Spirit World.  We also seal couples to each other and their children to the parents because we believe that marriage and the family is eternal if we are sealed to one another.  Well, Brother Cook did something we called indexing or geneological indexing.  He found and recorded on the church's family history database (called FamilySearch) tens of thousands of names of those who passed on without hearing of the Gospel and without having the opportunity to be baptized and sealed by proper authority.  We believe that because of indexers like Brother Cook, many people will be able to be sealed for time and all eternity to their spouse and children.   So when Brother Pat Cook died a few months ago I imagined that there were thousands of people there in the Spirit World to welcome him and thank him for helping them have forever families. 

Pat Cook being thanked in the Spirit World

Temple with Family

These older drawings somewhere in middle of list. . . click on top Religion button.

Together in the Celestial Kingdom

So, we should strive to be worthy of these choice Temple blessings, but we need to remember that our Savior knew we would be imperfect.  That is why he volunteered to be our Savior.  He paid the price for our sins so we could make it back to live with Him and His Heavenly Father and our families for all eternity in joy, peace and love.  So keep on trying, don't be too hard on yourself and yet keep trying to improve.  

Older drawing

Green Iguana

Green Iguana in a Tree

HI EVERYBODY!  First of all to new visitors. . . click on the top buttons to see lists of the pictures you can print to color at home.  There are lists under each button.  Newer drawings (like this iguana) are at the bottom of the lists.  All drawings are on the "All Printables" list.  But new drawings are also at the correct category button as well.  So the "Green Iguana in a Tree" is under "Animals". 

Sorry there have been no posts for a while.  We were on vacation with family in Wyoming.  We saw some beautiful places, rode horses a bit, went to a dnio museum, and went to both a family baptism and a family wedding.

Our grandniece Maddi asked me to draw a green iguana so here it is.  I am also posting her colored version so you can see how it looks colored.  Of course iguanas come in many colors.  In the Galapagos Islands we saw iguanas that were around 3 feet long and dove into the ocean and swam down 100 feet to eat algae off the bottom of the ocean near their island.  They were black or dark gray with red stripes jaggedly across their backs.  In Mexico, on a different trip, we saw an iguana on a fallen log.  It was greenish. . . kind of light green and gray.  In the Ecuadoran city of Guayaquil there is a park where people feed iguanas salads.  I was trying to take a picture of an iguana about 5 yards away when I felt one crawl across my feet.  It was at least 3 feet long.  So color the iguana however you like.  But also enjoy Madi's example. . . but you don't have to follow it if you don't want to.   Then again maybe you WILL want to color your green iguana like hers.  She used Gel Pens.

Green Iguana colored by Maddie

T. rex mother and her Chicks

T. rex mother and three Chicks

Tyrannosaurus rex, based on the evidence, was a good parent.  In fact, they have found a few groups of fossilized Theropod dinosaurs that clearly lived and died together.  This led paleontologists to infer that Theropods lived in packs.  So it is possible that the entire Theropod pack took care of the young "chicks."  So although this is a cartoon drawing for young kids to color, it is based on evidence.  Since Crocodilians carry their young in their mouth it is easy to infer that Tyrannosaurs did the same.

American Alligator mother with Hatchlings

Song "I Heard Him Come"

Jesus visits a Leper Colony

There is a great song that I love called:  I Heard Him Come.   The song tells of Jesus visiting a leper colony.  The song was written by Jeff Goodrich.  A group called Afterglow sings the song and I invite you to look it up.  I am going to post the lyrics here.  This song helps me when I feel down.  I am dealing with a constant bleeding trachea and a tracheal stent.  I do not have any chance of ever being rid of the problem.  It forced me to quit teaching school. (I was a science teacher.)  Sometimes I feel like a leper.  I wear a scarf over my tracheotomy tube stent but sometimes when someone gets a glimpse of it I feel rather self conscious.  But again, this song give me hope.  I know that one day I will be resurrected and have a glorified and perfected body. . . and if I repent of my sins and try to serve others I will get to live with my family and my Savior for all eternity.   

There is a story in the Holy Bible where ten lepers come to see Jesus and he heals them.  Then only one comes back to thank him.  I think that story reminds us to be grateful for our many blessings and try not to focus on the negative things in our lives.  Now, I don't recall the Bible telling of Jesus visiting a leper colony, but everything he did is not written down.  I can picture him going to a leper colony, a place of no hope, and healing the people who had been smitten with that terrible disease.  So thank you Brother Goodrich and Afterglow for the song.    

I Heard Him Come

  By Jeff Goodrich

I heard him come

I saw his very face
I wondered who
Would come into this place
Where dead men walk
And where the dying talk
Of life before
The curse upon them came.

He looked on me;
He must have felt my gaze
He came toward me,
Through the crowded maze,
And I a leper in shame, hid my head
Till someone said, “Jesus, is his name”
And he said,

Nations fall behind him
The rivers crawl to find him.
Mountains move
Just to let him through.
Come and never leave him
Just let your heart believe him.
And never let his light go
(Echo) Never let his light go
Never let your love grow dim.

He fed a thousand
With one loaf of bread
I saw him raise
A child from the dead
He healed the sick
The blind man saw his eyes
The lame man stood
And joyous were his cries
And he said:

Nations fall behind him
The rivers crawl to find him
Mountains move
Just to let him through
Come and never leave him
Just let your heart believe him
And never let his light go

(Echo) never let his light go
Never let your love grow dim

I saw his pain
As they nailed him to a cross
Wish that we
Could understand the cause
He looked on me
As he had once before
Saying, “Teach my word
To all forever more”
And I'll say:

Nations fall behind him
The river crawl to find him
Mountains move
Just to let him through
Come and never him
Just believe
And never let his light go
(Echo) never let his light go
Never let your light grow dim

Take the Holy Spirit As Your Guide

Troop Transport Ship US Navy 1950

At the last General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Elder Larry Y. Wilson told this story.  I am just paraphrasing him but you can look up the story yourself by typing in the title of this post with his name.   

The story is about a young LDS naval officer in the 1950's.  The officer was Ensign Frank Blair.  He was on a troop transport   One night after his watch was over, and during a violent storm, the captain of the ship came to ask him to pray for the ship.  One of the ship's engines had gone out and another was not working at full power.  Only one engine was fully functioning.  

Previously the captain had asked Ensign Blair to be the ship's unofficial chaplain since it was too small a ship to have an official chaplain.  Ensign Blair was a man of faith and he was well respected by the crew.  The captain had noticed this.  

Well, Ensign Blair DID pray for the ship that night, but he also prayed for guidance on what HE could do to help.   The Holy Spirit told him to go out on deck and look around.  Ensign Blair got permission to do this, but he had to get the captain's permission.  He went out on deck tied to a lifeline because there were 40 foot or 12 meter high waves.  

While walking around he saw at the stern of the ship, when the propellers came out of the water, that the one propeller was going very fast. He felt inspired to tell the captain to slow that engine down.  The captain had been told by the chief engineer to keep the engine at full power. . . but the captain went with his junior officer's recommendation.  

After the ship survived the storm . . . the next morning, the captain saw and realized that Ensign Blair's recommendation had saved the ship.   If the captain had kept the one engine at full power it would have burned out and the ship almost certainly would have capsized and been lost.  

This story shows how we can turn to our Heavenly Father in times of crisis.  We can also turn to him in the good times.   Although we all won't be naval officers saving our ship and the lives of our shipmates, we all have times when we will benefit form guidance of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.  

Carcharodontosaurus

Carcharodontosaurus

Carcharodontosaurus was a large predator.  It was one of the largest Theropods.  It lived in what is now N. Africa.  It was up to 44 feet or 14.2 m long so it was longer than the 40 foot long T. rex but possibly not as heavy.  It lived in the Mid Cretaceous Period so it lived way before the Late Cretaceous T. rex.   It had an estimated weight or mass of up to 8 metric tonnes.  The largest and somewhat controversial estimates for T. rex put it at 9 tons.  The most complete Carcharodontosaurus skull was found in Morocco.  The teeth look somewhat shark-like so the name means Shark Tooth Lizard.  

During the Mid Cretaceous North Africa was a swampy area with possibly a river delta.   

Good Samaritan

Good Samaritan

Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  The Jews at the time despised the Samaritans.  Yet maybe for that reason Jesus made a Samaritan the hero of the story.  A Jewish man had been robbed on his way to Jericho.  He had been robbed, beaten and left for dead.  The Samaritan came along and even though two "good" Jewish leaders had ignored the poor man, the Samaritan took care of him.  The Samaritan even took him to an inn or hotel in today's terms.  He paid the innkeeper to take care of the man and even promised additional pay on his next visit.  

This story was how Jesus taught we should take care of anyone who is in need.  .   . even if the people or person in need is different from us.  Race, religion, socioeconomic class etc. are unimportant differences if that person or those people are in need of our help.  

Prehistoric Mammals with Modern Mammals for Comparison

These are some prehistoric mammals.  Some are from more recent times and some are those that lived with the dinosaurs.   I will tell you what era each picture is from.  These are all older drawings. . . no new drawings here.  So you will need to click on the Animals button above or on the Paleontology Button or on the All Printables button and scroll down to find them  They won't be on the very bottom because newest drawings are on the bottom of the lists.

Wooly Mammoth Hunt
Some evidence suggestes that ancient Man may have contributed to the extinction of this animal.

Elephant Mommy with Calf
This was a drawing done for Mother's Day.  All mammal mommies nurse their babies with milk.

Jumbo with Fans
Jumbo was one of the biggest known elephants.  He was a circus elephant.
  He was also an African Elephant, the biggest living land animal on Earth.

Indricotherium
This was very big animal.  It was the biggest mammal ever to live.

Indricotherium Wooly Mammoth size comparison

Smilodon on Cliff
 This is a large type of Saber tooth Cat.  Sometimes people say "saber tooth tiger" and that's ok, but Saber Tooth Cat is more correct.

Jaguar attacking a Caiman 
Jaguars are not the largest living cat in the world, but they are the biggest cat in the Western Hemisphere.  That means they are the biggest cat in North and South America.

Cougar on a Mountain Top
Cougars are the second biggest cat in the Western Hemisphere.  This cat is very athletic and can jump out of a 30 foot tall or 9 meter tall tree.  They have many names.  Cougar, Puma, Mountain Lion, Mountain Screamer, Devil Cat, Catamount, Panther, Indian Cat, Red Cat, and several more names that  I can't think of right now.

Necrolestes Grave Robber Mammal Necrolestes
This lmammal species lived with dinosaurs and way beyond.  It may have been present on
the Earth for close to 50 million years.  That must be some kind of record for a species
to survive that long.   It possibly stole dinosaur eggs and ate carrion. . . hence the name grave robber.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes Plants and Animals 1
The mammals in this drawing are a Pinyon Mouse on the left and an Antelope Squirrel on the right.  They both live in the Coral Pink Sand Dunes part of Utah, USA.  In Southern Utah. 

Coral Pink Sand Dunes Plants and Animals 2
The mammals in the drawing are also from the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. 
The fox is a Common Gray Fox.  The jumping rodent is a Kangaroo Rat.  These mammals from the Coral Pink Sand Dunes are all nocturnal. 

T. rex vs Didelphodon
Didelphodon was a species of mammal from the late Cretaceous Period. 
It was probably nocturnal. . . meaning it was active at night.  .    .
like the small mammals form the Coral Pink Sand Dunes.  

Mammal-like Reptiles

BEFORE the dinosaurs were the Mammal-like reptiles.  They were of various sizes and they were very successful.  These animals included  both carnivores and herbivores and probably omnivores as well.  Remember that omnivores can and do eat both meat and plants.  There were some of these animals that were quite large.  Many of the larger Mammal-like reptiles went extinct at the great Permian extinction.  That was when volcanic activity went wild on the Earth and over 90% of all species died off or went extinct.

Gorgonopsid in the Desert

Gorgonopsid was a top predator.  They had an 30 inch skull... or 76 cm long.  The animal was a few inches of 10 feet long . . . or about 3 meters long.  This was a huge predator with very long fangs.

Scutosaurus in the Permian Desert

Scutosaurus was another late Permian Period Mammal-like reptile.  It was an herbivore.  It ate only plants. . . probably. I suppose it might have been an omnivore instead.   It was 9.8 feet long. . . or exactly 3 meters long.  It was probably a primary source of food for Gorganopsid.  Scutosaurus possibly traveled the late Permian desert in large herds seeking food and water.  That was a time in Earth's history when all the land was together in the giant Pangea continent.  Much of the land was desert environment.  Now this is an opinion, not science fact, but I think Scutosaurus was possibly the ugliest land animal ever to live on Earth. 

T. rex chicks getting Breakfast

T. rex chicks getting Breakfast

Yes baby Theropod dinosaurs should probably be called chicks.  Think of the bird evolution from Theropods connection and you should agree with me and many paleontologists.  The mother here has chewed up the food. . . the meat, and is regurgitating it like a mother penguin or pretty much any other mother bird.  You may find it it interesting that they have found evidence of fossilized leaves in dinosaur nests.  You can see some fern or cycad leaves in the bottom of the nest.  Personally, I really like how this drawing turned out.  

Baby Theropods like Tyrannosaurs would probably need care for at least ten years. . . but the evidence is mounting that these large Theropods lived and hunted in packs.  So the young may very well stay in the pack for up to adulthood or maybe their whole lives.  Perhaps like lions the young males eventually leave the pack to seek a new one where they can defeat the alpha male and take over.

By the way, remember that they have now found pollen from flowers dating to even BEFORE the dinosaurs so the flowering plants in the drawing are not a mistake.   Neither is the grass.  They found five different species of grass seed in coprolite or dino doo doo or fossilized dinosaur dung.  The dung was thought to come from Hadrosaurs or duck billed dinos.

NOTE:  My wife and I will be helping a bit with a dinosaur camp the next two days.  Not a lot of teaching but we will probably not be posting here on my blog for a couple of days.  Thank you for your patience.  By the way, I have drawn several new paleontology related drawings of  both dinosaurs and early mammal-like reptiles that I should be able to post by Thursday.  I hope life is finding you happy and well.  In spite of near constant pain we are trying to keep contributing to society in the limited ways we can.  Remember that the printable versions of drawings are found by clicking on the top  buttons. . . and the newer drawings are listed on the bottom of the correct list.  

Jesus raises Jarius' Daughter

Jesus raises Jarius' Daughter

Jesus was informed by Jarius that Jarius' daughter was ill and near death.  Jesus immediately went with him.  Jarius was a leader of the synagogue.  When they were on the way is when the woman with an issue of blood touched his robe and was healed.  When they were still traveling the ruler's servant met them and said it was too late.   Jesus said, "Be not afraid, only believe."  Jesus and the father of the girl and Peter, James, and John went to the house.  People were mourning and Jesus told them that the girl was not dead, but sleeping.  In fact he asked them,  "Why are ye making this ado and weep?   The damsel is not dead but sleepeth."  The people laughed at him for saying it.  But Jesus took the parents into the room where the girl's body lay and He raised her from the dead.  Then He told the parents to tell no man and to give their 12 year old daughter something to eat.   

Jesus with the Woman who touched His Robe

Unicorn Stallion

Unicorn Stallion at an Overlook

The majority of unicorns I draw are female. . . but if unicorns are real or ever were real there certainly would have been male and female.  Unicorns are almost always portrayed as magical creatures of light or good magic.  There are legends of unicorns in many cultures and it is interesting to note that those legends portray the unicorn as a symbol of goodness and purity.  The first recording or writing about unicorns is known from 400 A.D. in the Greek archives.  They were possibly part of the classic Greek period over 800 years before that. However that is a debated topic.  Unicorns are depicted in all cultures as not only being good but being respected and revered by humans.  Plus they are supposed to spend much of their time seeking to do good.   

Appalachiosaurus

Appalachiosaurus

(Only new drawing in today's post.)

Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis was an early Theropod that was also a Tyrannosaur.  NOT Tyrannosaurus rex, but a possible T. rex's ancestor from around 5 million years before.  So Appalachiosaurus lived about 70 million years ago.  As you can imagine from the name, it was found in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern North America in the USA.  There were fragments of this dinosaur (fossilized bones of course) found in several Eastern USA states.  The more complete fossil was found in Alabama. 

It was only the second Theropod found in the Eastern USA.  It showed that there were tyrannosaurs in what is now Easter North America.  The more complete skeleton that was found in Georgia is of a juvenile.  The skull bones are not fused so we know it was not fully grown. This  young Appalachiosaurus was about 23 feet or 7 meters long.  The adult may have been perhaps 30 feet or 11 meters long, but we can't be sure at this point.

You may notice the 6 bumps on the snout.  These are crests that set this animal apart from the similar Albertosaurus from Alberta, Canada.  The Albertosaurus is thought to be a possible ancestor of T. rex as well.  The western part of North America also has Daspeteousaurus... another possible T.rex ancestor. 

Albertosaurus with Leopard Pattern Spots

(This was a Mother's Day drawing.)

Daspleteosaurus on the Prowl

All three of these above Theropod dinosaurs were certainly related to T. rex, but they were probably all quite a bit smaller.  Probably closer to 30 feet or 9 meters instead of the size of a 40 foot or 12 meter long T. rex.  The above dinos also lived before T. rex walked the Earth.  It is likely that at least one of them is a T. rex ancestor. 

T. rex vs Didelphodon

NOTE:  All printable drawings are found by clicking the top buttons.  Newer drawings are at the bottom of their list.  Older drawings will be further up the list.  

Escape from the Battle of Brooklyn

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!   

Today we we are celebrating Independence Day in the United States of America.  There are lots of celebrations going on.  We went swimming with our daughter and grandchildren and now we are about to go to a BBQ at my sister's house.   But first I want to tell you about a battle of the American Revolution. . . a battle that the Colonial Army and General George Washington lost.  You will see why I am talking about this today....shortly.  

Battle of Brooklyn Escape

The battle went badly for the Colonial Army.  General Washington's army was soundly defeated.  All the British Army commander had to do is follow up with another assault and the American Revolution would be effectively over.  It was afternoon and things looked bleak for the cause of the Americans.  But a large storm hit. . . It was August...so it was a thunderstorm.  Then heavy fog set in afterwards.  The British commander, Gen. William Howe, (due to the storm), decided to wait for the morning to finish off the rebels.  General Washington probably saw this as a divine orchestrated escape.  He ordered fires to be kept lit as he got his men to evacuate across the river and escape overnight.  The British found empty camps the next morning.  

In my religion we believe that the founding of the United States of America was divinely influenced.  This thunderstorm and subsequent fog was what saved the Colonial Army from complete defeat and annihilation.  George Washington would probably have been hanged.   So now you know that it was an act of God that saved the American Revolution.   Or, if you don't believe that, then you could say it was an act of Nature.  Of course General Washington was wise enough to see the escape route so he needs to be given credit as well.  

We believe that God helps us but expects us to do our part as well.  If General Washington had just stayed there with his defeated army he would have been captured and his army eliminated as a fighting force.  But he saw the situation and instead of giving up he acted on it.  History tells us he was a man of deep faith.  I am sure he was praying after the defeat.  He needed to know what to do and God provided and escape, IF Gen. Washington and his army took the opportunity. 

Of course Gen. Washington went on to defeat the British eventually and France came into the war on the Colonial's side and America won its independence.   We also need to give Gen. Washington credit for never giving up.  He lost several battles and won only a few.   But because he never gave up he won the war and went on to be the first President of the United States.  In that role he established traditions of limiting the executive branch's power that remain today.   We citizens of the United States of America owe him and God a lot . . . in my opinion.  

Animal Parenting

T. rex mommy carrying her Chick

(This is the only completely new drawing.)

The drawing above is clearly for younger children to color. 

T. rex was a larger predator, but certainly a great parent as well.  Robert Bakker, the famous paleontologists says (something like) this. . . when he thinks of T. rex he thinks of tenderness and gentleness and caring parents.  This is true of some modern predators as well.   The wolf and lion are good parents.    It used to be thought that dinosaurs were dumb animals that did not care for their offspring, but we know otherwise now.  Tyrannosaurs were from the Cretaceous Period.  

T. rex baby and parent close up

The evidence is that Theropod dinosaurs hatched in a pretty much helpless state and therefore the parents would have to care for them. . . like bird parents care for their young.  Of course birds are now sometimes called Avian Theropods.  

Raven and Wolf Cub

Ravens are a type of Avian Theropod that is considered one of the smartest birds.  They even play with the wolves.  The ravens and wolves have a symbiotic relationship called mutualism.  The ravens spot the wounded prey animal and come let the wolf pack know where the food is.  Then the ravens get the scraps after the wolf pack has fed.  

American Robin

A Native American legend has it that the reason the robin has a red breasts is it was brave enough to rescue its chicks in a grass fire and the chest or breast got burned.  The robin is my favorite Avian Dinosaur or Avian Theropod. . . can you guess why?   

Allosaurus caring for Chick

Allosaurus was an earlier Theropod. . . from the Jurssic Period.  We infer that adult Theropods may have carried their young in their mouth. . . since modern crocodilians do that as well.  

American Alligator Mother with Hatchlings

(This is a modified drawing.   I added the hatclings.)

As I mentioned before, lions are predators that care for their young.  Even the male lion will care for the young at times.  .   .  or at least patiently endure the cubs playing all over them. This below picture is another drawing for younger kids to color.   It is another new drawing.  

Lion Family

Eoraptor from Dinosaur Train fan art

Eoraptor from Dinosaur Train

I have been watching Dinosaur Train with my granddaughter.  She loves the show.  She is only 2 1/2 and yet she loves dinosaurs.  It is a very well done show.  They are no longer making new episodes but there are about 7 seasons of excellent educational programming.  Yesterday we watched an episode about Eoraptor.  Eoraptor was one of the very first dinosaurs.  They are small Theropod dinosaurs. . . in fact, they are quite possibly the ancestor to Allosaurus and T. rex and other Theropods.  Maybe they are even the deep ancestor to the other bipedal dinosaurs like the Hadrosaurs or duck-billed dinosaurs.  

My granddaughter liked the female Eoraptor I drew from the TV...but then she wanted a "Daddy" raptor, so I drew a male with a chick.  The drawing shows a more robust male.  This might be a mistake because we think that the large female Theropods like T. rex were larger and more robust than the females.  However, some species of animals DO have larger and generally more robust males.   Robust means more heavily built with thicker bones and larger frame.   

Eoraptor Male with Chick

As far s the stripes and spots, modern reptiles come with a variety of patterns so I liked how they drew the Eoraptor in Dinosaur Train.  Neither of my drawings of Eoraptor are exactly like the way they drew the dino in the TV show, but they are similar.  

The climate in the Triassic . . . it was a rather dry period in Earth's history.  It included only 10-20 inches of rain per year over much of the Earth's surface.  There were also heat waves with extreme heat and probably less rain or drought conditions.  This is called a semi-arid climate.  Thus I drew a rather desert-like climate in the second drawing. 

There were ferns and pines and ginkgo trees and perhaps bushes as well.   There is new evidence that there were flowering plants even way back in the Triassic Period 200 million years ago.  The tree that looks like a palm tree is a cycad tree.

The volcano in the first drawing is not a mistake either.  At the end of the Triassic an upsurge in volcanic activity killed off many species but not these early dinosaurs.   In fact, the extinction event killed off many species so that the dinosaurs could flourish.  The dinosaurs quickly evolved into a wide variety of forms to fill the empty niches.  

5 Minute Unicorn

Unicorn drawn in 5 minutes

I drew this unicorn for my granddaughter.  I drew it in only 5 minutes.  It turned out pretty good.  I was kind of proud that it looks as good as it does.  I could spiff it up with shading and more details, but I thought it was cool that I could draw it so fast.  This unicorn is a mare.   She is on a small hill that overlooks a stream or small river.   I rarely draw a full sun in my drawings, but my granddaughter likes to have a "sun with lines" as she puts it. This is a non-traditional unicorn because it has hooves like a horse and it has a horse-like tail.