A new discovery of baby dinosaurs in Australia is providing insights on how life was 100 million years ago. The discovery was made along the South coast of Victoria Lightning Ridge in New South Wales.
Research conducted by paleontologists from the Palaeoscience Research Centre at the University of New England and the Australian Opal Centre in Lightning Ridge has uncovered baby dinosaurs on the south coast of Victoria, Australia. Researchers also indicated that they had also located bones near the outback town of Lightning Ridge in New South Wales.
Discovery of baby dinosaurs
The baby dinosaurs discovered were estimated to be just from hatching due to their size. Scientists also speculated that some of the bones indicated that the baby dinosaurs had not been hatched when they died. Victoria’s discovery had bones that scientists indicated that the babies had been hatched but were nest-bound.
The belonged to small-bodied ornithopod dinosaurs. Full-grown ornithopod weighed approximately 20 kg. The located bones belonged to dinosaurs sized about 200g of the same species.
Researchers were able to use bone rings to estimate the babies died some 100 million years ago. Scientists were especially happy that the bones had served for such a long period. Eggs and bones of little ones rarely survive because of their fragility, and most of the time, they are lost. However, the discovery of these bones is providing insights on what life was really like for these dinosaurs.
First sighting in the Southern Hemisphere
Dr. Phil Bell, at the University of New England paleontologist, said,
We have examples of hatchling-sized dinosaurs from close to the North Pole, but this is the first time we’ve seen this kind of thing anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere.
This discovery was published in the scientific report journal and providing more information about life in Australia 100 years ago. The study highlights the conditions of Australia during that time, describing it as being nearer to the poles.
Featured image by Pixabay
