Minmi
MIN-my
- featured
- free
The herbivorous ankylosaurid Minmi lived around 120m years ago during the Early Cretaceous period and can grow to a length of over 3m. Minmi is notable for its long tail and the horizontal armour plates that cover its body, protecting it from attacks by predators, while its legs are unusually long for a dinosaur from the Ankylosauria family, allowing it to run quickly.
Discovery
This genus was discovered by palaeontologist Alan Bartholomai in 1964, close to the Minmi Crossing in Queensland, Australia. The skeleton unearthed was the first ankylosaur found in the Southern hemisphere and comprised of a partial hind leg, back vertebrae, ribs and armour plates.
Palaeoecology
Minmi lived in Queensland during the Early Cretaceous period, when it was an island off the coast of Australia made up of thick woodland and floodplains. Studies have shown that the genus had a plant-based diet, feeding on low-lying plants and trees, and lived alongside other dinosaurs including Muttaburrasaurus.
Information
- Era
- Early Cretaceous
- Family
- Ankylosauridae
- Genus
- Minmi
- height
- 1M
- length
- 3M
- weight
- 300Kg
- Diet
- Ground Palaeobotany
- Egg batch size
- 1 - 3
