Dinosaurs / Cretaceous / Kunbarrasaurus
Kunbarrasaurus
Cretaceous koon-bah-ruh-SAWR-us, “shield lizard”
Kunbarrasaurus was a small armoured dinosaur that lived in eastern Australia during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous, around 105 to 100 million years ago. Its holotype is one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons ever found in Australia, preserving nearly every bone alongside intact dermal armour and gut contents. Initially considered a specimen of Minmi, detailed CT scanning revealed major anatomical differences, including an unusually complex nasal cavity and unique skull architecture, leading to its naming as a distinct genus in 2015. Reaching roughly two metres in length, it was an agile, sheep-sized quadruped. Its fossilised stomach contents preserved chopped seeds, fibrous plant stems, and fern sporangia, offering direct evidence of the diet of early parankylosaurs.
Fossilised gut contents revealed it fed on seeds, ferns, and soft plant tissues.
Where and when
Kunbarrasaurus lived in the Early Cretaceous, from 105 to 100 million years ago (Albian age). Its remains come from Australia, in the Allaru Mudstone Formation.
The numbers
Length 2.3 m (estimates run from 2 to 2.5 m). Mass about 240 kg. Hip height about 0.7 m. That is 1.4 human-lengths, or 0.21 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from near-complete skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.