At the moment we’re taking a look at Mattel’s newest fragmentary dinosaur that you simply’ve by no means heard of, Minqaria, a late Cretaceous lambeosaur. Till the announcement of this toy I had by no means heard of this dinosaur. Mattel’s odd assortment of obscure animals has launched me to numerous issues I’ve by no means heard of, and I’m grateful for it!
Though solely identified from a partial cranium (proper maxilla, left dentary, and braincase), Minqaria is a neat little hadrosaur. It comes from the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco, which preserves the stays of a singular assortment of animals. They embody the massive abelisaurid, Chenanisaurus, a small unnamed Titanosaur, the stays of a number of azhdarchids, and a number of other small hadrosaurs like Minqaria itself. These dinosaurs would have lived proper on the finish of the Cretaceous and the Ouled Abdoun Basin preserves fossils from the Eocene as effectively.
Sadly, numerous the fossil stays from the Ouled Abdoun Basin are fragmentary, however the stays of Minqaria and associated hadrosaurs had been vital in that they introduced the primary hadrosaur stays present in Africa. Through the late Cretaceous, Northern Africa was an island, and Minqaria and kin’s closest kinfolk lived in Europe, suggesting that lambeosaurs reached Africa by way of oceanic dispersal. That is all very attention-grabbing stuff that I in all probability wouldn’t have identified if Mattel didn’t make a toy of this genus. What’s extra, it goes to point out you that fragmentary dinosaurs can nonetheless be attention-grabbing and of worth.
Minqaria bata is actually Arabic for “duck beak”, not essentially the most artistic identify however it has a hoop to it. Minqaria is estimated to have solely reached a size of 11’ (3.5 meters) and a weight of 550 lbs. (250 kg). It lived alongside the associated Ajnabia, which reached an identical dimension. Mattel’s Minqaria measures 8.5” (21.59 cm) and stands 3” (7.62 cm) tall on the hips, placing it at about 1/15 in scale.
The Mattel Minqaria stands in a quadrupedal pose with the forelimbs bent and hips and tail held excessive. It’s articulated on the base of the neck in order that the top might be lowered near floor stage, as if it had been grazing. The limbs can rotate at their shoulders and hips, and you may truly get the determine to face in a bipedal pose that I feel seems higher than the quadrupedal one, which seems considerably awkward.
The toy is conservative in design however cartoonish trying. The mouth is cheek-less and huge, with a downward flip on the ends. It makes the toy look aggravated and virtually put me off to getting it. The crest is speculative however in line with different restorations of Minqaria and its shut kinfolk. The toy’s weirdest attribute is by far it’s three toed, camel-like hooves on the forelimbs. Two digits help its weight, and the third digit is small and sharply curved. I swear, Mattel is intentionally trolling the paleo-community with bizarre ornithopod palms.
For finer particulars we get some small pebbly scales over the face and neck, bigger and coarser scales over the physique, and wrinkling on the decrease limbs and stomach, and positive ridges on the crest. Scutes run down the toes, as common, however they start on the knees, which is bizarre. Crocodilian like armored plates run alongside the again with osteoderms embedded in them. The face has saggy, chubby cheeks. The cheeks, together with the stretched mouth, add to its aggravated look. I feel Minqaria wish to converse with the supervisor!
The toy is slate blue coloured with a pumpkin coloured crest. There’s a cream coloured patch on the throat and some pumpkin coloured stripes on the again. The eyes are lime inexperienced with black pupils. The beak and claws usually are not painted and whereas the paintjob doesn’t have a lot happening I nonetheless prefer it.
The Mattel Minqaria is an odd and sort of ugly trying fellow that I used to be hesitant to buy however it additionally represents an obscure dinosaur that lived in an attention-grabbing time and place, and its ugliness imbues it with some appeal too. It has persona. The Mattel Minqaria ought to be obtainable wherever Jurassic World toys are offered. I’ve seen it at each Goal and Walmart.
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