Leaellynasaura
Leaellynasaura was a tiny plant-eating dinosaur that lived in the dark polar forests of ancient Australia. It had big eyes to see in the long winter nights and a super long tail.21
When did it live?
How big was it?
How long was it?
How tall was it?
hip height
How heavy was it?
How big was Leaellynasaura compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Fun facts
Leaellynasaura lived inside the Antarctic Circle during the Early Cretaceous, about 118 to 110 million years ago, when the climate was warmer than today.1
Its tail was extremely long, about three times the length of the rest of its body, and had more tail bones than most other plant-eating dinosaurs.1
It had enlarged eye sockets and large optic lobes in its brain, which helped it see in the dim light of polar winters.21
Bone growth lines show that Leaellynasaura grew continuously all year, meaning it did not hibernate or slow down much during the cold, dark winter.2
It may have lived in small herds or flocks, and dinosaur burrows found in Victoria suggest some small ornithopods might have sheltered underground in the coldest months.2
Its teeth had five ridges on each side, fewer than other small Victorian ornithopods like Qantassaurus and Atlascopcosaurus, which had at least eight.2
Most asked questions about Leaellynasaura
?How big was Leaellynasaura?
About 1.8 metres (6 feet) long including its tail, but some estimates based on a juvenile specimen suggest about 1 metre (3.3 feet).12
?What did Leaellynasaura eat?
It was a plant-eater that ate low-growing plants like horsetails, cycads, and ferns.12
?Did Leaellynasaura have feathers?
Scientists think it might have had hair-like filaments on its skin, but no feathers have been found yet.4
?Where was Leaellynasaura found?
It was discovered in Dinosaur Cove, Victoria, Australia, in rocks that were once inside the Antarctic Circle.12
?How fast could Leaellynasaura run?
Nobody knows for sure, but as a small, lightweight dinosaur it was probably quick and agile.1
Ask Rex about Leaellynasaura
Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.
Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Leaellynasaura
- Named by
- Rich and Vickers-Rich 19895
- Group
- Beaked plant-eaters
- Family / clade
- Elasmaria5
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia5
- Age of the rocks
- 113 to 110 million years (Albian)5
- Rock formations
- Eumeralla5
- Countries
- Australia5
- Fossil records
- 4 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Discovery
- Leaellynasaura was discovered in Dinosaur Cove, Australia, and named in 1989 by Tom Rich and Patricia Vickers-Rich. They named it after their daughter Leaellyn.15
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure which fossils belong to Leaellynasaura, because most were found scattered, and some long-tailed skeletons may belong to a different dinosaur.1
Where the facts come from
- Leaellynasaura (en.wikipedia.org)
- Dinosaurs - Leaellynasaura amicagraphica - The Australian Museum (australian.museum)
- LEAELLYNASAURA - DinoChecker dinosaur archive (dinochecker.com)
- Leaellynasaura | Western Australian Museum (museum.wa.gov.au)
- Leaellynasaura in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex
Iguanodon
Tenontosaurus
Thescelosaurus
Zalmoxes
Camptosaurus
Rhabdodon
Stegosaurus
Archaeopteryx
Giganotosaurus
Microraptor
Deinonychus
Baryonyx