Kunbarrasaurus
Kunbarrasaurus was a small, armoured dinosaur that walked on four legs and munched on plants. It had bony plates and spikes all over its body, like a walking tank. This dinosaur lived in Australia during the Early Cretaceous, about 105 million years ago.13
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Fun facts
Kunbarrasaurus is one of the most complete armoured dinosaurs ever found, with most of its skeleton and skull preserved.1
Its gut contents show it ate fibrous plant parts, seeds, and fruiting bodies, and it probably chopped food in its mouth instead of using stomach stones.1
The dinosaur had a ring of scutes around its neck, and its body was covered with small, keeled plates and spikes.1
Kunbarrasaurus had a very large inner ear, unlike any other dinosaur known, which may have helped with balance or hearing.2
The fossil was found in marine rocks, so the dinosaur may have washed out to sea after death.1
It is the second genus of armoured dinosaur from Australia, and its name means 'shield lizard' in the local Aboriginal language.1
Most asked questions about Kunbarrasaurus
?How big was Kunbarrasaurus?
About 2.5 to 3.5 metres long. That is roughly the size of a large motorcycle.1
?What did Kunbarrasaurus eat?
It ate plants, including fibrous leaves, seeds and fruiting bodies. Scientists know this because its last meal was preserved inside its fossil.1
?Did Kunbarrasaurus have a tail club?
Probably not. Its tail is not fully preserved, but some of its relatives had a flat, blade-like structure at the tail tip instead of a club.1
?Where was Kunbarrasaurus found?
In Queensland, Australia, near Richmond. The fossil was discovered in marine rocks, so the dinosaur may have washed out to sea after death.1
?When did Kunbarrasaurus live?
It lived during the Early Cretaceous, about 105 million years ago.1
?Is Kunbarrasaurus a dinosaur?
Yes, it is a small armoured dinosaur called an ankylosaurian.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Kunbarrasaurus used its tail like a club to defend itself.
Truth: There is no evidence of a tail club in Kunbarrasaurus. Its tail had triangular plates and scutes, but no club.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Kunbarrasaurus
- Named by
- Leahey et al. 20153
- Group
- Armoured dinos
- Family / clade
- Parankylosauria3
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Ankylosauria > Thyreophora3
- Age of the rocks
- 106 to 100 million years (Albian)3
- Rock formations
- Toolebuc3
- Countries
- Australia3
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The skeleton was found in 1989 by Ian Ievers on Marathon Station in Queensland, Australia. It was named Kunbarrasaurus ieversi in 2015 by scientists including Lucy Leahey.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating whether Kunbarrasaurus is a primitive or derived ankylosaur, because it has a mix of both ancient and advanced features.2
Where the facts come from
- Kunbarrasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- doi:10.7717/peerj.1475 (people.ohio.edu)
- Kunbarrasaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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