Muttaburrasaurus
- Length
- 8 m (26.2 ft)
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (145–100 Mya)
- Place
- Australia · Utah, USA
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.
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.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Muttaburrasaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.