Leaellynasaura

What it was like

Leaellynasaura was a small plant eater about 2 meters (7 feet) long, much of that a very long tail. It ran on two legs and had large eye sockets.

Its tail may have had more bones than that of almost any other small plant-eating dinosaur, and some scientists think the animal may have wrapped it around its body for warmth.

Its world

It lived about 113 to 110 million years ago, in the Early Cretaceous, in what is now Australia. At that time Australia lay far south, close to the pole, so winters were cold and dark for weeks at a time.

Its fossils come from the Eumeralla Formation, where it lived alongside the small plant eater Atlascopcosaurus and the ornithomimid-like Timimus. Its big eyes may have helped it see during the long polar winter.

How it was found

Rich and Vickers-Rich named Leaellynasaura in 1989. They named it after their daughter. Four finds are known.