NEW DINOSAUR DISCOVERY FILLING THE GAPS The Museum’s two-week May/June 2013 dig produced a treasure trove of massive fossil bones. In fact, it uncovered so many huge dinosaur bones that staff are wondering where they are going to fit in the Museum’s already overcrowded laboratory. The Museum’s Executive Chairman David Elliott thinks this was the most productive two weeks of digging he has experienced in more than a decade of dinosaur discovery. David says, “Most digs involve a lot of digging in search of the bone deposit but that wasn’t the case with this dig. As fast as we tried to dig around one bone, we uncovered another. There were bones everywhere – giant limbs, vertebrae and two metre long ribs stacked across each other and joined together by rocky concretions. It was impossible to remove them safely without taking half-a-dozen other bones that were joined to them!” AAOD Museum Research Associate Dr Stephen Poropat, who is based at Sweden’s Uppsala University, said this discovery would go a long way towards filling in the gaps of knowledge of Winton’s ancient giants. Steve says, “These bones belong to a huge animal that is up there with some of Australia’s largest dinosaurs. The really exciting thing about this site is the number of bones we have found of the same animal. We suspect that it could be Wintonotitan but as only a few complete bones of Wintonotitan have been found, we will need to wait until the bones have been prepared before we are sure. It could be a completely new species! Either way it is very exciting as we have very limited knowledge of Wintonotitan and many of these bones have never been seen before.” (continued on page 2) AAOD Society Newsletter, No. 8: September 2013 Page 1 of 10 2013 DIG - CONTINUED According to Judy Elliott, who organises the dig team participants each year, these important discoveries wouldn’t be possible without the support of the hundreds of people who’ve become involved. She says, “We don’t always find a site as good as this year’s but even when we aren’t finding much, people just love being there.” Of course, there’s much more to the digs than digging for fossils. As Judy says, “It’s the fascination of all looking for something and sharing that common goal of finding it, and you might be the first person to uncover it! It’s the thrill of discovery, of making new friends, the evening talks, the laughter and camaraderie that entices our people back each year. Once you’ve been to a dig you’re no longer a digger, you’re a Dugger!” Trish & David making decisions, Judy’s puzzling handiwork and a very busy dig pit David Elliott says, “Although the dig site is now finished it may not be the end of the story. This site is only 80 metres from a site called ‘Dixie’ which was dug two years ago and we retrieved some beautiful large sauropod vertebrae and front limb bones. Dixie’s bones were in a flood deposit line and I’m almost certain that they have washed downstream from the animal we retrieved this year as they are very similar in size and point back in that direction. If this proves to be correct, Dixie will be one of Australia’s most complete sauropod dinosaur skeletons.” David says that he is keen to explore the area further with ground-penetrating technology to see if there are any more bones lurking beneath the black soil. In the meantime, preparation of the new discoveries will begin in earnest at the AAOD Museum in 2014. AAOD Society Newsletter, No. 8: September 2013 Page 2 of 10 FUNDING PARTNERSHIP BRINGS RESULTS Completing the BHP Billiton Cannington- funded video project for the Collection Room tour at the Reception Centre, was a big deal for the Museum. It wasn’t just the amount of animation, writing and filming required, but all the specification, purchase and installation of new audio visual equipment. In all, the project took over a year from confirmation of funding to completion and then launch night. And a great night it was with everyone in Winton invited to the Royal Open Air Theatre for the public premier of the full- length documentary from which the tour material was extracted. At right, the Museum’s David Elliott and BHP’s Simone Sheehy (Communities Improvement / Cannington, Copper) celebrate a top result and happy partnership. WATCH THE STORY OF WINTON’S OUTBACK MONSTERS As reported in the June 2013 AAOD Society newsletter, the “Monsters in the Outback” DVD telling the story of Winton’s dinosaurs is now available via the online shop http://australianageofdinosaurs.com/shop4- books.php The non-member price is $37.90 being $29.90 for the DVD and $8 for P&H. The member price is $26.90 plus $8 P&H = $34.90. There will be no additional P&H if you wish to order two or more copies. Unfortunately the current version of the online shop can’t process your 10% member discount so please phone 07 4657-0712 or email me at [email protected] to make your order including your credit card details (Mastercard or Visa, name on card, card number, expiry date). Thank you, Linda Young AAOD Society Co-ordinator AAOD Society Newsletter, No. 8: September 2013 Page 3 of 10 News from The Jump-Up RECEPTION CENTRE STILL DRAWING ATTENTON READING If you were disappointed to miss out on buying CSIRO’s Australia’s Fossil Heritage, which isn’t being reprinted due to lack of grant funding, it is available as an e-book http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/6580.htm AAOD visitor Paul Willis invites members to check out his photo essay on prepping a In June, the Museum’s new Reception fossil he found at Richmond. It’s here: Centre, designed by Cox Rayner Architects http://riaus.org.au/articles/a-bone-to-share- Brisbane, won a State Award for Public with-you/ Architecture. It has now been entered in the 2013 National Architecture Awards to be announced in Sydney on 7 November. The building has also been shortlisted for the finals of World Architecture Festival 2013 in the Display category. CABOOLTURE GEM CLUB HELPS OUT Our thanks to members of the Caboolture Gem Club who kindly called into the Museum with a donation of prehnite, chrysoprase and fossilised wood for sale in the Museum shop. COOL WEDDING! At right, Club President Paul Futcher talks Rene Elliott’s July wedding to Chris Moore with Museum Tour Guide Alan Bulbeck is perhaps the coolest thing to happen in about the donated items. Winton this winter! AAOD Society Newsletter, No. 8: September 2013 Page 4 of 10 SAUROPODS GALORE BY DR STEPHEN POROPAT HOW MY WORK AT AAOD HELPS TO FILL GAPS IN OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE ANATOMY OF AUSTRALIA’S ANCIENT SAUROPOD GIANTS Over the last decade-and-a-half, the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, led by David and Judy Elliott, has uncovered the remains of many different sauropod individuals. Through their efforts, the number of sauropods excavated in Queensland has more than tripled, and our understanding of the anatomy of these animals has increased significantly. So far, only two sauropods from the Winton Formation have received formal scientific names: Diamantinasaurus matildae and Wintonotitan wattsi. However, there are many more sauropod specimens in the AAOD museum which are no less exciting than these two! When a dinosaur receives a name, a particular specimen has to form the basis for the name. This is called a type specimen, which must only contain bones from a single individual and should ideally be as complete and well preserved as possible. The type specimen of Diamantinasaurus, also known as AODF 603 or “Matilda”, which is on display in the type room of the AAOD Reception Centre in Winton, clearly represents only one animal (since all of the bones were found at the same site and none are duplicated), and includes an almost complete front limb and shoulder girdle, a less complete but no less impressive pelvic girdle and hind limb, a few back and hip vertebrae and a few ribs. This means that based on the Matilda specimen alone, we have no idea what Diamantinasaurus’ head, neck or tail looked like. However, if we compare other specimens to Matilda that preserve some of the same bones, and these specimens also contain bones that are not present in the type specimen, we can increase our understanding of Diamantinasaurus’ anatomy. The material from the Elliot site provides us with an opportunity to do this. At least two animals are present here and one is about the same size as Matilda, the other a bit smaller. The bigger animal is repres- ented by a femur and pelvic elements which are also present in and look close in shape to those preserved of Matilda. However, this animal also preserved a bone not present in the Matilda specimen: a partial neck vertebra. This gives us a glimpse at what the neck bones of Diamantinasaurus looked like. Better yet, the small metacarpal (upper front foot bone) and tibia from the Elliot site also compare well with the type of Diaman- tinasaurus, suggesting that the smaller sauropod may also be a Diamantina- saurus specimen. If this is true, then we will get an idea of what Diamantina- saurus’s braincase (the first non-tooth skull element ever found of an Australian Right scauplae and coracoids of four sauropod dinosaur!), neck and back verte- sauropods; Matilda’s is third from top brae looked like! (continued on page 6) AAOD Society Newsletter, No.