c. 175 million years ago, Roma District, Queensland
The Middle Jurassic Rhoetosaurus brownei is both Australia’s most completely known sauropod dinosaur and one of the oldest known sauropods in the world. The only known fossil skeleton comprises a nearly complete hindlimb and pelvis, 28 tail vertebrae, 7 dorsal vertebrae, bits of rib and at least 2 partial cervical vertebrae. Depending on how long the completed neck and tail were in life, it may have been anywhere from between 14-18 metres in length.
In this reconstruction, I aimed for a generalised primitive sauropod using Cetiosaurus and Patagosaurus as a guide.
Here is a more recent, ink reconstruction of Rhoetosaurus
. The tail bears a hypothetical club based on anatomical similarities
of the caudal vertebrae with the Chinese club-tailed sauropod Shunosaurus.
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Art and text © Brian Choo 2004
Back to main page.Art and text © Brian Choo 2004