Austrosaurus

Austrosaurus was the first Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur ever named from Australia.2

Its bones were found in a marine rock layer, and scientists think the dinosaur's body may have been washed out to sea and scavenged by the pliosaur Kronosaurus.1

The type locality was lost for decades until it was rediscovered in 2014, leading to new excavations that found more bones from the same individual.2

Austrosaurus had a very light, air-filled backbone with many small internal chambers, a feature typical of advanced titanosauriform sauropods.1

During the Early Cretaceous, the area where Austrosaurus lived was much closer to the South Pole, with cool winters that may have dropped to around 0 to 5 °C.1

Other dinosaurs that lived alongside Austrosaurus include the armored Kunbarrasaurus and the ornithopod Muttaburrasaurus.1