COOPER THE DINOSAUR

Australia’s largest dinosaurs ‘Cooper’ and ‘George’, were uncovered in the Quilpie Shire. The bones were found on a station near Eromanga in 2005. ‘Cooper’ and ‘George’ are both titanosaur dinosaurs and are estimated to have been at least 26 meters in total body length. Titanosaurs were among the largest living animals of all time, growing much longer than the largest whales.

George’s skeleton is so far represented by an incomplete femur (thigh bone) and some rib bone fragments. Cooper’s skeleton is so far represented by two massive humeri (upper arm bones) and a lower arm bone. Because Cooper’s bones were found together, palaeontologists believe that there is more of the skeleton out in the field to excavate.