6 Dinosaurs & Mega Fauna Found Along the Tropic of Capricorn

Gondwanaland abounded with creatures we can hardly imagine, but as time passed the earth shifted in a gradual, sensational, evolution of the land. Australia’s vast inland sea and its surrounding wetlands disappeared, leaving behind a prehistoric burial ground. Experience the living museum that remains today, a route embedded with tell-tale fossils…

Marine Reptiles of the Inland Sea

Platypterigius (‘broad fin’) was a large Ichthyosaur that grew to 6-7m long and resembled a cross between a dolphin and a shark. They were fast swimmers who breathed air and gave birth to live young under water. A specimen of Platypterigius and its young was found near Boulia.

Platypterigius

Kronosaurus, was the largest, meanest carnivore of the inland seas and may have reached 10-11m in length. Kronosaurus had a short-neck, big head and large teeth – similar to a crocodile.

Kronosaurus

Where can I meet them?

Stonehouse Museum, Corner of Pituri and Hamilton Streets, Boulia

Creatures of the Outback Forests

When Winton was a forested wetland, the region was full of incredible prehistoric creatures:

Sauropods were the largest animals to ever walk the Earth. They had long necks and tails, proportionately small heads and massive elephant like legs. These plant-eating dinosaurs, ate enormous quantities of vegetation. To aid in the breakdown of woody plants, they ingested stones called gastroliths, which remained in their stomach and ground their food.

Sauropods

Theropods were a group of meat-eating dinosaurs, or carnivores. They ran quickly on strong hind legs, grabbing their prey with the claws on their short, front limbs. Their feet had three toes and their strong jaws were equipped with an arsenal of dagger like teeth.

Theropods

Where can I meet them?

Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, Winton

Mount Morgan Railway Museum, Mount Morgan

Megafauna of the Caves Region

Fossil deposits found in cave sediments in the Capricorn Caves District reveal an astonishing number of species.

Thylacoleo: This majestic marsupial lion was the largest mammalian carnivore ever found in Australia. It had massive meat-cleaving teeth and a pouch.

Thylacoleo

Giant Goanna: This huge goanna may have been the Australian relative of the modern Komodo Dragon and inhabited the area over hundreds of thousands of years.

Giant Goanna

Where can I meet them?

Capricorn Caves, The Caves, via Rockhampton