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long-neck giant
Austrosaurus
Say it like this: “AWS-tro-SAWR-us”
Austrosaurus mckillopi
Austrosaurus ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Australia.
- When
- Early Cretaceous (Albian) · roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago
- Named in
- 1933 · Longman, H. A.
- Hip height
- 3.9 m · 13 ft
- Length
- 20 m · 66 ft
- Weight
- 16 tonnes
- Found in
- Australia · Allaru Mudstone
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Four legs
- Kind
- long-neck giant · Sauropod
- Family branch
- Somphospondyli
The story in short
Austrosaurus was formally named in 1933 by H. A. Longman.
It lived in the Early Cretaceous (Albian), roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago. Finds come from Australia, including the Allaru Mudstone Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.
Published estimates put Austrosaurus at a length near 20 m, hips about 3.9 m high, and a body mass around 16 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Somphospondyli, among the sauropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Abdarainurus
Abdarainurus barsboldi
Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Angolatitan
Angolatitan adamastor
Late Cretaceous (Coniacian) · roughly 89.8 to 85.7 million years ago
Arkharavia
Arkharavia heterocoelica
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago