Paleontologists Uncover New Dinosaur In Australia

08-27-2009 • red Orbit

Paleontologists in Australia have discovered a new species of dinosaur on a sheep farm in the northern state of Queensland. The fossils are of a large plant-eating sauropod, nicknamed Zac, which roamed the earth about 97 million years ago. They were discovered in Eromanga, which is a town full of fossils that was once covered by a vast inland area. According to the scientists, the discovery confirms Australia's importance as a center for dinosaur discovery. In 2004, the country's largest dinosaur, Cooper, was found resting on the same sheep farm. Cooper was a 98-foot long, new species of titanosaur, which is an enormous, armor-plated creature. Scott Hocknull, a Queensland Museum paleontologist, said Zac's skeleton was smaller than Cooper's but more complete. Zac had a very long neck, like other sauropods, and had a small head with blunt teeth. He also had a long tail that would counter-balance the neck