Named By: | Tom Rich and Patricia VickersinRich in 1989 |
Time Period: | Early Cretaceous,[1]118-110 Ma |
Location: | Australia, Victoria |
Size: | 2 meters long |
Diet: | unavailable |
Fossil(s): | Numerous specimens including a partial skeleton and skull |
Classification: | | Chordata | Reptilia | Dinosauria | Ornithischia | Ornithopoda | Hypsilophodontidae | |
Leaellynasaura (meaning "Leaellyn's lizard") is a genus of small herbivorous ornithischian dinosaurs from the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous (dated to between 118 and 110 million years ago), first discovered in Dinosaur Cove, Australia. The only known species is Leaellynasaura amicagraphica. It was described in 1989, and named after Leaellyn Rich, the daughter of the Australian palaeontologist couple Tom Rich and Patricia Vickers-Rich who discovered it. The specific name L. amicagraphica translates to "friend writing" and honours both the Friends of the Museum of Victoria and the National Geographic Society for their support of Australian paleontology.