Diluvicursor
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Name Meaning | “flood runner” |
| Location | Australia |
| Time Period | c. 112 million years ago (Early Cretaceous) |
| Length | 8 ft (2.5 m) |
| Weight | 46 lb (21 kg) |
| Locomotion | Biped |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Described | 2018 (Herne et al.) |
| Geological Formation(s) | Eumeralla |
| Valid Species | Diluvicursor pickeringi (type) |
Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Ornithischia > Genasauria > Neornithischia > Cerapoda > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia > Elasmaria
Overview: Paleontologists classify Diluvicursor as a member of the phylogenetic clade Elasmaria – a part of the iguanodont lineage of ornithopods. Elasmarians are generally known from the southern hemisphere, specifically in South America, Antarctica and Australia, seemingly having branched off from other iguanodonts as early as the Middle Jurassic. Diluvicursor itself lived in the early half of the Cretaceous Period, being known from the rock layers of Australia’s Eumeralla Formation. The elasmarians had retained a lot of basal anatomical traits that vanished among their more derived iguanodontian kin. They were generally all bipedal and lightly built animals with some unique traits on their leg bones and tail vertebrae. Most were small, though some grew to be moderately large. Diluvicursor was between two and three meters long and slender. It was probably relatively swift, implied by the name “flood runner”, which also refers to it having lived on a vast floodplain.
Diluvicursor fossils were first uncovered in the mid-2000’s, at Australia’s famous Dinosaur Cove dig site, in southern Victoria. Numerous other dinosaurs have also been found at Dinosaur Cove, most notably the genus Leaellynasaura – a fellow elasmarian. The two are easily distinguished, however, by a few key features. Leaellynasaura had a proportionately long tail, while that of Diluvicursor was short and robust. Muscle attachment points on the upper tail suggest it was a powerful runner (dinosaurs possessed muscles connecting the upper tail and femur, which retracted or tensed to move the leg to walk and run). Diluvicursor had no armor, so speed was its main defense. Potential predators of this animal included megaraptorans, possible tyrannosauroids, and possibly a carcharodontosaur of an unknown genus. The only known fossils of Diluvicursor include its tail vertebrae and parts of the lower legs, but we can infer that it had a keratinous beak and teeth suited for herbivory.