Genus
Valid Extinct

Muttaburrasaurus

Bartholomai and Molnar 1981
Etymology Reptile de Muttaburra

Muttaburrasaurus is a genus of herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now north-eastern Australia during the Albian-Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period. It has been recovered in some analyses as a member of the iguanodontian clade Rhabdodontomorpha, but more recent research has suggested a more basal position in the ornithopod family tree, potentially as a member of Elasmaria. After Kunbarrasaurus, it is Australia's most completely known dinosaur from skeletal remains. It was named after Muttaburra, the site in Queensland, Australia, where it was found. The dinosaur was selected from twelve candidates to become the official fossil emblem of the State of Queensland.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
3
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Muttaburrasaurus
click to enlarge
Muttaburrasaurus The plants, animals and climate of the Australian continent have changed dramatically over long periods of time. Imagine this giant creature roaming the luxuriant wet forests that covered parts of the continent in the Cretaceous period, about 100-110 million years ago. The Muttaburrasaurus ambled along on all four legs or stood on its hind legs. Its large teeth were well adapted to eat tough vegetation such as the leathery foliage of the evergreen forests of Araucaria trees, ancient relatives of the bunya pine of south-eastern Queensland. In 1963, grazier Doug Langdon discovered the fossilised bones of a dinosaur on his property near Muttaburra in central-west Queensland. It was one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons found in Australia. The bones belonged to a new species of ornithopod and palaeontologists named it Muttaburrasaurus langdoni. Cast of Muttaburresaurus langdoni 1987 made by Queensland Museum, Brisbane National Museum of Australia © SandwichCafe · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia
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Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Ornithischia Unranked clade
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Neornithischia Unranked clade
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Pyrodontia Unranked clade
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Cerapoda Unranked clade
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Ornithopoda Suborder
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Iguanodontia Infraorder
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Euiguanodontia Unranked clade
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Elasmaria Unranked clade
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Muttaburrasaurus Genus
Fossil sites 3 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇦🇺 Australia
3
Geological formations
Allaru Mudstone
2
Mackunda
1
Temporal distribution
Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)
3
Species (1)
Muttaburrasaurus langdoni 106 Ma
News 1
Beautiful Muttaburrasaurus Drawing by Talented Artist
drawing Muttaburrasaurus behavior bird
Our thanks to talented artist Caldey for sharing with us her beautiful Muttaburrasaurus drawing.  The Muttaburrasaurus pair are gently rubbing their heads together.  Such behaviour is seen in living birds. This behaviour is often referred to as allopreening. It reaffirms social bonding.  Extant birds indulge in such behaviours including the rubbing of beaks (billing).  It
09/05/2026 everythingdinosaur
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
A. Bartholomai and R. E. Molnar. 1981. Muttaburrasaurus, a new iguanodontid (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda) dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 20(2):319-349
Bibliography (3)
R. E. Molnar. 1996. Observations on the Australian ornithopod dinosaur, Muttaburrasaurus. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 39(3):639-652
R. E. Molnar. 1991. Fossil reptiles in Australia. Vertebrate Paleontology of Australasia
A. Bartholomai and R. E. Molnar. 1981. Muttaburrasaurus, a new iguanodontid (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda) dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 20(2):319-349