Diamantinasaurus
Diamantinasaurus was a big, long-necked plant-eater that lived in Australia about 95 million years ago. It was a titanosaur, a kind of sauropod, but it was smaller than many of its giant cousins. Its bones were found with those of a meat-eating dinosaur called Australovenator, maybe because they died together in an ancient lake.21
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Fun facts
Diamantinasaurus had a complete front limb and shoulder girdle, but its skull has never been found.2
It lived in a warm, wet environment with big rivers, oxbow lakes, and swamps, like a giant floodplain.2
Diamantinasaurus was a lithostrotian titanosaur, a group that had bony plates called osteoderms in their skin, though none have been found with this dinosaur.2
It had a hand with a claw on one finger, which is unusual for sauropods.2
Most asked questions about Diamantinasaurus
?How big was Diamantinasaurus?
About 16 metres long and weighed up to 25 tonnes. That is about as long as two garbage trucks and heavier than two adult male elephants.234
?What did Diamantinasaurus eat?
It ate plants, probably seed ferns, ferns, conifers and early flowering plants. Its specific diet is unknown because its skull and teeth are not well preserved.24
?When did Diamantinasaurus live?
It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 94 to 95 million years ago.32
?Where was Diamantinasaurus found?
Its fossils were found near Winton, Queensland, Australia, in the Winton Formation. The site was an ancient oxbow lake.32
?Was Diamantinasaurus a dinosaur?
Yes, it was a titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur. It is not a pterosaur, marine reptile or other prehistoric animal.32
?Did Diamantinasaurus have a skull?
Yes, but it was not found with the first fossils. In 2023, a more complete skull was described, showing it had a long snout and cone-shaped teeth.3
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Diamantinasaurus lived like a hippo in the water.
Truth: Scientists now believe it was a land animal, not a swimmer.2
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Diamantinasaurus
- Named by
- Hocknull et al. 20095
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Diamantinasauria5
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Macronaria5
- Age of the rocks
- 100 to 90 million years (Cenomanian / Turonian)5
- Rock formations
- Winton5
- Countries
- Australia5
- Fossil records
- 6 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Discovery
- Diamantinasaurus was named in 2009 by Scott Hocknull and his team. They found its bones at the 'Matilda Site' on Elderslie Station in Queensland, Australia.15
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly which other titanosaurs were its closest relatives. Some think it might be a saltasaurid, but others disagree.2
Where the facts come from
- New Mid-Cretaceous (Latest Albian) Dinosaurs from Winton, Queensland, Australia | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
- Dinosaurs - Diamantinasaurus matildae - The Australian Museum (australian.museum)
- Diamantinasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Diamantinasaurus matildae (campaigns.premiers.qld.gov.au)
- Diamantinasaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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