- Colorful fossils discovered in Australia were found to belong to a stunning new species of dinosaur, according to a new report published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
- The fossils were discovered in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, a hotbed for dinosaur discovery in recent months.
- The new dinosaur, Fostoria dhimbangunmal, is part of a clade of plant-eating dinosaur called an Iguanodontia that was likely around during the mid-Cretaceous period, around one hundred million years ago.
- Researchers discovered that the bones corresponded to four different sized animals believed to be the first dinosaur herd discovered in Australia.
Colorful fossils discovered in Australia were found to belong to a stunning new species of dinosaur, according to a new report published in theJournal of Vertebrate Paleontology
The fossils were discovered in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, a small outback town famous for its opal mines near the state's northern border with Queensland.
The new dinosaur, Fostoria dhimbangunmal, is part of a clade of plant-eating dinosaur called an Iguanodontia that was likely around during the mid-Cretaceous period, around one hundred million years ago.
It was named in honor of Robert Foster, the opal miner who discovered the fossils in the 1980s, and the sheepyard where the bones were found.
The bones were preserved entirely in opal and are a rare grey hue that features brilliant flecks of gem colors. Scientists from the Australian Museum in Sydney originally helped excavate the fossils but they were further studied once they were donated to the Australian Opal Center in 2015.
Dr Phil Bell, a lead researcher from the University of New England in Armidale who co-authored the report, said while researchers initially assumed the bones belonged to a single skeleton, they soon discovered that the bones corresponded to four different sized animals, believed to be first dinosaur herd discovered in Australia.
"There are about 60 opalized bones from one adult dinosaur, including part of the brain case, and bones from at least another three animals," Bell said in an interview with the university.
According to the University of New England, the bones were from both juvenile and adult animals that could have been up to 16 feet in length.
Lightning Ridge has been a hotbed for discovery in recent months after a dog-sized dinosaur was discovered in the region last year, named Weewarrasaurus pobeni by Bell and his colleagues.
"The rate of discovery is astounding," Bell told the university. "On average, there's at least one new dinosaur discovered around the world every week," Dr Bell said. "With more paleontologists and scientists looking further afield than ever before, it's an exciting time for dinosaur lovers everywhere, especially in Australia."