Leaellynasaura

Say it like this: “lee-EL-in-a-SAWR-a”

Leaellynasaura amicagraphica

Leaellynasaura ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Australia.

Quiz me on Leaellynasaura

When: Early Cretaceous (Albian) · roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago
Named in: 1989 · Rich, T. H.; Vickers-Rich, P.
Hip height: Not established
Length: 2 m · 7 ft
Weight: 90 kg · 198 lb
Found in: Australia · Eumeralla
Food and walking: Herbivore · Two legs
Kind: beaked plant-eater · Ornithopod
Family branch: Elasmaria

The story in short

In 1989, T. H. Rich and P. Vickers-Rich published the name Leaellynasaura. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.

It lived in the Early Cretaceous (Albian), roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago. Finds come from Australia, including the Eumeralla Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Leaellynasaura at a length near 2 m and a body mass around 90 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Elasmaria, among the ornithopod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Anabisetia

Anabisetia saldiviai

Late Cretaceous (Turonian) · roughly 93.9 to 89.8 million years ago

Atlascopcosaurus

Atlascopcosaurus loadsi

Early Cretaceous (Barremian · Aptian · Albian) · roughly 125.8 to 100.5 million years ago

Chakisaurus

Chakisaurus nekul

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago