The Mesozoic Era is more widely known as “The Age of the Dinosaurs” because it was during this time in Earth history that dinosaurs and other reptiles emerged as the dominant life forms, occupying just about every ecological niche and ranging from tropical to near-polar latitudes.
Dinosaurs have been found on every continent, but North America and China enjoy especially diverse and abundant dinosaur faunas, reflecting favorable living conditions for dinosaurs as well as favorable conditions for their preservation.
During the Mesozoic, Australia was located at high latitudes in the southern hemisphere, and was in the process of separating from the supercontinent Pangea. Dinosaur discoveries Down Under are rare, and each new dinosaur find is newsworthy, so the recent discovery of three new Australian dinosaurs is a quantum leap in understanding the geographic range of southern hemisphere dinosaurs.
Reference: Hocknull SA, White MA, Tischler TR, Cook AG, Calleja ND, Sloan T, Elliott E. (2009) New Mid-Cretaceous (Latest Albian) Dinosaurs from Winton, Queensland, Australia. PLoS ONE 4(7): e6190. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006190
Photo credit: http://paleonews.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/2009-07-03-australian-dinosaurs.jpg
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