Austrosaurus

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Quick Facts
Name	Austrosaurus
Diet	Herbivore
Weight	16000 kilos
Length	15 meters
Height	3.9 meters
Period	Early Cretaceous

Austrosaurus was an extinct genus of titanosaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived in the Early Cretaceous about 110-105 million years ago. It was from the Allaru Formation and roamed west-central Queensland in Australia. It was discovered in 1932 at Clutha Station near Maxwelton in north Queensland by Mr. H.B. Wade. In 1933, it was further investigated by Heber Longman.

It was a four-legged dinosaur with a long neck and tail. It swung its tail in the face of any predator that nipped at its flanks. It used its long neck to reach food and keep its head away from smaller predators. It was a herbivorous dinosaur that ate gingkos, seed ferns, cycads, Italian Bennett, ferns, clover and horsetails. It had a fairly level back between its shoulders and hips measured at only twenty centimeters difference in height between the two. And like any other dinosaur, it reproduced by laying eggs.

Austrosaurus was estimated to be 15 m long and weighed 16,000 kg.

What does Austrosaurus mean?

The name Austrosaurus means "southern lizard".

What did Austrosaurus eat?

Austrosaurus was an herbivorous dinosaur that ate gingkos, seed ferns, cycads, Italian Bennett, ferns, club thighs and horsetails.

How does Austrosaurus defend itself?

It has a long tail that could swing from the attack of any predator that cuts into its flanks and a long neck to keep its head away from shorter predators.

Where did they live?

When did they live?

What was your diet?

Who discovered them?

What kind of dinosaurs are they?

What type of species are they?

How are they classified?

References

Long JA (1998). Dinosaurs of Australia and New Zealand and other animals of the Mesozoic Era. UNSW Press. ISBN 0-86840-448-9.
Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press p. 206
Martin, Anthony J. (2006). Introduction to the Study of Dinosaurs. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 434-435. ISBN 1-4051-3413-5.
Longman HA. 1933 A new dinosaur from the Queensland Cretaceous. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 13:133-144.
Coombs WP and Molnar RE, (1981) Sauropoda (Reptilia, Saurischia) from the Cretaceous of Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 20(2):351-373.
Hocknull, SA; White, MA; Tischler, TR, Cook AG, Calleja ND, Sloan T, Elliott DA (2009). New Mid-Cretaceous (Latest Albian) Dinosaurs from Winton, Queensland, Australia. PLOS ONE. 4: 7 e6190.
Molnar RE and Salisbury SW (2005). "Observations on Cretaceous Sauropods from Australia". In Carpenter, Kenneth and Tidswell, Virginia (ed.), ed. Thunder Lizards: The Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press. pp. 454-465. ISBN 0-253-34542-1.

Fun Facts

The name Austrosaurus means "lizard of the south".
It was an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur titanosaur.
It stood on four legs.
It has a long neck and tail.