Waltzing with Dinosaurs

Last week, we introduced three new species of dinosaur from the mid-Cretaceous, discovered in the Winton Formation in Australia: the ferocious, carnivorous theropod, Australovenator wintonensis and two giant, plant-eating sauropods, Witonotitan wattsi and Diamantinasaurus matildae. The three dinosaurs, nicknamed “Banjo,” “Clancy” and “Matilda,” respectively (after Banjo Patterson, composer of the song Waltzing Matilda and two characters from his works), were described in a paper by Scott Hocknull and his team from the Queensland Museum and the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, which was published in PLoS ONE on Friday.

Although the publication of the paper and the unveiling of the dinosaurs in Queensland, Australia, took place on July 3, a US public holiday, the discovery has generated extensive coverage in the international media and in the blogosphere. At the time of writing, Google News lists over 500 news articles and there have been many more blog posts. We’ve summarised some of the most interesting articles and posts below, although this should not stop you from adding your own discussion comments, notes and ratings directly onto the article.

Media

• New Scientist – Billabong fossil finds end Australia’s dinosaur drought
• SciAm’s 60-Second Science – New dino species discovered in the land Down Under
• National Geographic – Australia Dinosaur Pictures: Three New Species Found
• BBC News – New dinosaurs found in Australia
• The Guardian – Monster haul: Three new dinosaurs discovered
• The Telegraph – Three new species of dinosaur found in Australia
• The Times Online – From T-Rex to Waltzing Matilda – three new dinosaurs found Down Under
• Reuters – Australia discovers 3 new large dinosaurs
• The Associated Press – Australian dinosaur that lived 98M years ago found
• AFP – Three new dinosaur species found in Australia
• The Sydney Morning Herald – Banjo one of the new dinos on the block
• The Age – Prehistoric billabong yields three new Aussie dinosaurs
• ABC News – Winton dinosaur find ‘the tip of the iceberg’
• The Washington Post – A Rare Dinosaur Find Is Made in Australia
• Voice of America – Australian Scientists Identify 3 New Dinosaur Species

Blogs

• The Open Source Paleontologist – The Open Source Paleontologist: An Australian Dinosaur Extravaganza
• A Blog Around the Clock – Waltzing Matilda – why were the three Australian dinosaurs published in PLoS ONE?
• Dracovenator – Three New Dinosaurs – at long last, some dinosaury goodness from Australia
• Chinleana – Kudos to PLoS ONE
• Dinosaur Tracking – Meet Banjo, Matilda and Clancy: Three New Dinosaurs From Australia
• The World We Don’t Live In – Waltzing matildae, and its friends

The Australian Age of Dinosaurs website also has a range of interesting content available, including the press releases, fact files on the dinosaurs, images, and more information on how to take part in one of the AAOD’s Dinosaur Discovery Weeks.