Page 76 - DINOSOUR ATLAS

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Fossil Triangle u queensland outback today
Queensland’s landscape is one of opposites, from the semiarid
western outback region—home of the “Fossil Triangle”—to the
coastal wetlands and swamps of the tropical northern zone.

Queensland has produced fossils of Early Cretaceous dinosaurs and
other reptiles. About 100 million years ago, an area now known as
the “Fossil Triangle” was covered by sea, as revealed by the fossils Gregory Range
of pliosaurs found there. The bodies of land-dewelling dinosaurs Townsville
are also in this area—perhaps the victims of floods that swept them Q U E E N S L A N D
into the sea. Eventually, the sea retreated, leaving its sediment Cloncurry Hughenden
to form soft limestone, from which Minmi, Muttaburrasaurus, Fossil Lake
and a near-perfect pliosaur have been excavated. Selwyn Range Triangle Dalrymple

snoUt bUmp contained an Winton
Forsyth Range
organ for making sounds

u site location
Australia’s Fossil Triangle is in northern Queensland,
forming a three-sided area between the outback
muttabuRRasauRus skeleton . Upright postUre towns of Winton, Hughenden, and Cloncurry.
The heavy bones of Muttaburrasaurus indicate shows how it could
that it was a muscular, solidly built have stood on its
dinosaur. Behind its bony beak were hind legs
cheek teeth designed for a cutting rather than a
grinding action. This is surprising, as cutting teeth
are usually found in carnivores, not herbivores.

u muttabuRRasauRus did you know?
minmi .
An ornithopod (bird-footed), . Minmi was the first armored dinosaur
Muttaburrasaurus may have lived in herds to be discovered south of the equator. This tanklike, four-legged ankylosaur spikes, or bony
that traveled long distances in search of It was named after the Minmi Crossing in was a plant-eater. Too slow to escape plates, protected
food. It moved on all fours, browsing on southeastern Queensland, where the fossil from a predator, it relied upon most of the
ferns, but it could have stood on its hind was found. Minmi is an aboriginal word, the rows of spikes that jutted dinosaur’s body
legs to reach cycads and conifers growing referring to a large water lily. out from its tough hide.
high above the ground.

. Richmond pliosauR
A near-complete skeleton of a
small pliosaur was found near
the town of Richmond, on
the northern edge of the
Fossil Triangle. Known as the DownwarD— backwarD— ForwarD—flippers
“Richmond Pliosaur,” it is one of powerful flippers may flippers are now are now fully pushed
the world’s best-preserved pliosaurs. have been used to propel raised slightly upward, back and then brought
Shown here is an illustration of how a the pliosaur through the water as the backward push through forward, enabling the pliosaur
pliosaur might have moved—scientists think as they moved down forcefully the water begins to start the cycle again
it used its flippers to swim like a sea lion.