Paleontologists from the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History unearthed 17 teeth from a giant herbivorous dinosaur that roamed Queensland, Australia, millions of years ago in an "exceptionally rare" find.
The team found the teeth near the western Queensland town of Winton, where the museum is located. Paleontologists believe the site was at the edge of an inland ocean about 96 million years ago. More so, other teams have found several partial sauropod fossils in the fossil hotspot, but cranial and teeth remains are rare, Newsweek reported.
Rare Teeth Collection Belonged to One of the Largest Animals That Walked on Earth
Scientists are still analyzing the fossils they found, but they believe that the rare collection of teeth belonged to a sauropod called diamantinasaurus, which is one of the largest animals that ever roamed Earth. They could grow up to an estimated height of 49 to 52 feet long and weigh between 33,000 and 44,000 pounds.
Dr. Stephen Poropat from the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne said the discovery could give new insights into the diamantinasaurus species. They found some scratches on the teeth that suggest the owner of these teeth may have chewed vicariously on their food, contrary to the previous belief that these animals were unable to chew.
The team initially found 12 teeth in 2019 and found five more over the years. Diamantinasaurus was first named in 2009 when paleontologists found some fossils nearby the area where the teeth were found 10 years later.
The fossil hotbed where the teeth and other bones were found makes up part of the Winton Formation, a sequence of sedimentary rocks stretching from the north Winton to central Queensland and New South Wales.
Paleontologists have been finding a large number of fossils in the area over the years. They have identified them from the Cretaceous period dated 98 to 96 million years old. Other dinosaur fossils found include another sauropod called Wintonititan, and the carnivorous theropod known as Australovenator.
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Discovery of Diamantinasaurus
According to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, Diamantinasaurus matildae belonged to the group of one of the largest terrestrial animals known called titanosaur, which can grow up to 35 meters in length and weigh up to 100 tons. However, they are relatively a smaller type of titanosaur with an estimated height of 15 to 16 meters and a weight of 15 to 20 tons.
Their fossils were first found in Elderslie station near Winton, Queensland, in 2005 by property owner Sandra Muir. Scientists from the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History dug the site from 2006 to 2010 and by 2009, Dr. Scott Hocknull and others finally gave the dinosaur a name. Then in 2015, Dr. Stephen Poropat and colleagues revised its description based on new findings.
They found the remains of the diamantinasaurus intermingled with other dinosaur fossils and some bones of crocodylomorphs, turtles, and lungfish tooth plates.
About 30% of the bones of "Matilda" has been recovered, making it the most complete sauropod from the Cretaceous period ever found in Australia. They are somewhat considered a rarity because their bones are scattered and intermingled with the Australovenator.
Read also: Australotitan Cooperenses: Largest Dinosaur Species Bigger Than Antarctic Blue Whale Discovered
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