Day 38#: Weewarrasaurus pobeni
Today's animal of the day is Weewarrasaurus pobeni!
Image credit: James Kuether
This species of ornithopod dinosaur lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Australia. Its fossils were first discovered in 2013 during a mining operation near the town of Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, Australia. The genus name refers to the Wee Warra fossil locality, where its remains were discovered, while its species name honors Mike Poben, an opal dealer who was the first person to identify the holotype specimen as a fossil.
Image credit: Robert A. Smith/University of New England
This specimen is unique because it was opalized, meaning that it was preserved in opal, giving the fossil a unique shine. This opal band allowed paleontologists to determine that the fragmentary remains of this dinosaur actually belonged to the same individual and not two separate ones. This phenomenon has occured with other fossils, but it fairly rare.
Image credit: cisiopurple on Deviantart
Currently, the only remains paleontologists have of this dinosaur are two fragmentary pieces of the lower jaw, so not much is known about the size and appearance of Weewarrasaurus, though we know it was roughly about the size of a small to medium-sized dog. Weewarrasaurus would have also lived alongside many other closely related species of ornithopod dinosaurs. I couldn't find much else about this little guy, but I still think he's cool.
