The new dinosaur, which was found on a sheep farm near the town of Eromanga in Queensland, has been nicknamed ‘Zac’. It is a large sauropod that would have lived 97 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous period when the area was covered by a large inland sea. Zac, like other sauropods, had a long neck and tail and used its blunt, peg-like teeth to strip vegetation off the trees. It was found in an area becoming renowned for its dinosaurs.

In 2004 Australia’s largest dinosaur, a 30 metre long titanosaur, nicknamed ‘Cooper’ was discovered on the same farm. Three other dinosaurs ‘Matilda’, ‘Banjo’ and ‘Clancy’ were also discovered earlier this year (see an earlier entry). With these major finds and the extensive bone beds under much of the northern part of Queensland the area will become a dinosaur hotspot. Much of Zac’s remains were on the surface requiring little excavation.