Name: Austrosaurus
(Southern lizard).
Phonetic: Aw-stro-sore-us.
Named By: Heber Longman - 1933.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha, Sauropoda, Titanosauria.
Species: A. mckillopi (type).
Type: Herbivore.
Size: Estimated 15 meters long.
Known locations: Australia, Queensland, Winton
Formation.
Time period: Albian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Several specimens of post
cranial remains.
As
with other Australian sauropods
such as Wintonotitan
and
Diamantinasaurus,
the skull and most of the vertebrae are unknown. What
can be learned from the available material is that Austrosaurus
had a
fairly level back between its shoulders and hips with what appears to
be only twenty centimetres height difference between the two.
Study
of the available vertebra of Austrosaurus appear
very primitive in that
they are not hollow or display any of the associated weight saving
features that had already been developed in earlier sauropods as
exhibited in Rhoetosaurus,
suggesting that Austrosaurus was a late
surviving primitive form.
Further reading
- A new dinosaur from the Queensland Cretaceous - Heber A. Longman -
1933.
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