Dinosaur Cove (2024)

Many fossils found here, such as the small ornithopod Leaellynasaura , show large eye sockets, suggesting they were adapted to see in the long, dark polar winters. Major Fossil Discoveries:

A small coelurosaur tentatively allied with tyrannosauroids; its bones show "lines of arrested growth," hinting it may have hibernated during cold months. Dinosaur Cove

The site is noted for the extreme physical and logistical challenges of its excavation, which required mining-style techniques rather than traditional surface digging. The 700 | Article | Museums Victoria Many fossils found here, such as the small

At the time, the area was part of a great rift valley formed as Australia began to separate from Antarctica. It served as a floodplain with ancient stream beds that now act as repositories for small animal bones. The 700 | Article | Museums Victoria At

The fossil-bearing strata at Dinosaur Cove date back approximately 106 to 110 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous.

Dinosaur Cove is famous for providing evidence that dinosaurs lived in polar conditions. During the Early Cretaceous, this part of Australia was located approximately , well within the Antarctic Circle.