Lyellinasaurus lived near the South Pole, where the sun did not rise above the horizon for about four months in a row. Judging by the large eyes and thick optic nerves that connected them with the brain, this lizard saw well at dusk.
In the age of the dinosaurs, Australia was much closer than it is today to the South Pole and connected to Antarctica. But it wasn’t very cold there. However, due to the tilt of the Earth, there was a long night and day time.
Liellinasaurus was a small dinosaur, slightly larger than a turkey, with large eyes, a toothless beak, and highly crested cheek teeth. Her long hind limbs were well adapted for fast running. At the same time, the hard tail stuck out elastically, playing the role of a balancer, like that of a galloping kangaroo. The tail was three times the size of the rest of the body. There were more tail vertebrae than other ornithychians, with the exception of some hadrosaurs.
The main food for Liellinasaurus was low plants their leaves, stems, cones and fruits. She may have been digging up edible roots and tubers.
Probably, the cold seasons Liellinasaurus experienced, like our snakes and lizards, in a state of stupor. The heart and lungs abruptly slowed down their work, the body became almost icy. This made it possible to survive the hungry time until the return of warmth and fresh greenery.
warm-blooded reptile?
Probably, Liellinasaurs roamed in flocks through the polar forests. These lizards withstood intense cold according to some scientists, due to intense internal heating, t. e. relatively constant high body temperature.
If Liellinasaurus was indeed warm-blooded, it could remain active all year round without winter torpor, or hibernate.
Image variant with wool
