Toddling with the dinosaurs
Meet Dugie the dinosaur – a gigantic long-necked sauropod who stomped around Skye 170million years ago and is now the star of a new children’s book.
Palaeontologist Steve Brusatte and his primary school teacher wife Anne are the first to bring the dinosaurs who roamed Scotland to life in a tale for kids.
Dugie the Dinosaur: Scotland’s Sauropod was inspired by real-life fossils found by Edinburgh University professor Steve, 38, and his team on the Isle of Skye.
Steve, an adviser on the last Jurassic World movie, said he and Anne decided to write the book so children like their two-year-old son Anthony would realise dinos used to live on their doorstep.
Illinois-born Steve, who has helped discover more than 10 species of dinosaur including a long-nosed T-Rexex and a tiny velociraptor, said: “The book was my wife’s idea and d was inspired by a trip we took to Skye when Anthony was very small and we took photos of him sitting inside some of the 100 sauropod footprints my team have discovered at Corran beach h near Staffin.
“When people think of dinosaurs nosaurs and fossils, they often thinkk of dry and hot places rather than Scotland, so she
Story tells tale of prehistoric beast Dugie
wanted to write a story that showed children these incredible creatures lived right here and in some foreign desert. “It’s the first kids’ book ever written about Scotland’sSc dinosaurs, so we wewere journeying into the unknunknown. There are a lot of inainaccuracies about dinos in chichildren’s stories so Anne brobrought me onboard as sciscientific adviser to ensure the dinos, the setting, the envenvironment and even the weathweather were spot on.”
SteveSteve, resident palaeontologist on BBC’s WWalking with Dinosaurs, added:ddd “All ththe ddinosaurs in the book are based on real-life animals who lived on
Skye and we have the fossils, hand and footprints to prove it.
“The sauropods were the size of three elephants which, at the time, were the biggest creatures that had ever lived on Earth. We discovered some of their bones and 100 of their footprints – many the size of car tyres.”
Many of the dinosaurs in the book, including Dugie, are named after real-life people who have played a part in preserving Scotland’s Jurassic past.
Anne, 36, who is originally from Bristol and met Steve at university, said: “The hero is named after Dugie Ross who runs the Staffin Fossil Museum on Skye.
“He started the museum in a little shed as a teenager and grew it into one of the biggest tourist attractions on Skye. He is a special guy who has been protecting the fossils and naming the title character after him is our way of saying thank you.
“Maggie the pterosaur is named after Maggie Fyffe, who coordinates the Isle of Eigg Community Trust, the group of islanders who own their island.
“They have allowed Steve to collect fossils there.”
The book, beautifully illustrated by Shalla Gray – the daughter of legendary Comic Book artist Alan Grant – already has a massive fan in Anthony.
Anne said: “At the moment though, dinosaurs are in stiff competition with tractors, any vehicle involved in building work and Humpty Dumpty.”
When people think and nosaurs of di think fossils, they places of dry, hot rather than Scotland