Leaellynasaura
"Leaellyn"
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (118–110 Mya)
- Place
- Asia · Australia
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.
Leaellynasaura (meaning “Leaellyn’s lizard”) is a genus of small herbivorous ornithischian dinosaurs from the late Aptian to early Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous, around 118-110 million years ago. It was first discovered in Dinosaur Cove, Australia. The only known species is Leaellynasaura amicagraphica. It was described in 1989, and named after Leaellyn Rich, the daughter of the Australian palaeontologist couple Tom Rich and Patricia Vickers-Rich who discovered it. The specific name, amicagraphica, translates to “friend writing” and honours both the Friends of the Museum of Victoria and the National Geographic Society for their support of Australian paleontology.
What we know
- Named by Rich & Rich, 1989.
- Fossils found in Asia and Australia.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Leaellynasaura — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.