Muttaburrasaurus Muttaburrasaurus

"Etymology TBD"

You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Muttaburrasaurus 8 m (26.2 ft) long
5 people holding hands
Length
8 m (26.2 ft)
Period
Early Cretaceous (145–100 Mya)
Place
Australia · Utah, USA
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Dinosauria

Muttaburrasaurus is a genus of herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now north-eastern Australia during the Albian-Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period. It has been recovered in some analyses as a member of the iguanodontian clade Rhabdodontomorpha, but more recent research has suggested a more basal position in the ornithopod family tree, potentially as a member of Elasmaria. After Kunbarrasaurus, it is Australia’s most completely known dinosaur from skeletal remains. It was named after Muttaburra, the site in Queensland, Australia, where it was found. The dinosaur was selected from twelve candidates to become the official fossil emblem of the State of Queensland.

What we know

  • Named by Bartholomai & Molnar, 1981.
  • Body length estimated at about 8 m.
  • Fossils found in Australia and Utah, USA.