Leaellynasaura facts for kids
Quick facts for kids LeaellynasauraTemporal range: Early Cretaceous
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Leaellynasaura
Rich & Rich, 1989
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Leaellynasaura (say "Lee-a-LIN-a-sore-uh") means "Leaellyn's lizard." This speedy, plant-eating dinosaur lived in Australia about 115 to 110 million years ago. This was during the middle Cretaceous Period. Back then, Australia was much closer to the South Pole. This meant it had very long, dark winters!
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Discovering Leaellynasaura
Scientists know about Leaellynasaura from a few important fossil finds. These include two nearly complete skeletons and two skulls. These fossils help us understand what this dinosaur looked like.
What Leaellynasaura Looked Like
Leaellynasaura was a type of dinosaur called an ornithopod. Ornithopods were usually plant-eaters with bird-like hips. This dinosaur had a very special tail. It was super long, about three times longer than the rest of its body! This long tail likely helped it balance while running.
Unlike some other dinosaurs, Leaellynasaura's tail didn't have stiff tendons. This meant its tail was flexible. It also had more vertebrae (backbones) in its tail than most other ornithischians. Only some hadrosaurs had more tail bones.
Leaellynasaura also had big eyes. These large eyes were very useful. They helped the dinosaur see in the dim light of the long, dark Antarctic winters.
Life in Ancient Australia
During the Cretaceous Period, Australia was part of a supercontinent called Gondwana. It was located much further south than it is today. This meant it was inside the Antarctic Circle.
Surviving the Cold
Even though it was cold, the area was not covered in ice. Instead, it had forests of conifers and ferns. The biggest challenge for dinosaurs like Leaellynasaura was the long, dark winters. The sun might not have risen for weeks or even months! This is why their large eyes were so important. They needed to find food and avoid predators in the dark.
Images for kids
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Partial long tailed ornithopod skeleton originally attributed to Leaellynasaura
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Skull attributed to Leaellynasaura
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Restoration of three Leaellynasaura with hypothetical protofeathers
