Dinosaurs lived between 245 and 66 million years ago, during the Mesozic Era, and their remains have been found on every continent on Earth. Despite their abundance elsewhere, less discoveries have been made in Australia because of the geology. Australia has been subject to 30 million years of erosion and weathering, therefore paleontologists have smaller areas of suitable exposed rocks to look at when searching for fossils.

Given Australia’s geographic isolation many of Australia’s dinosaurs evolved as unique species adapted to extreme conditions. Dinosaur fossils have been found mainly in the eastern half of Australia (Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria). These fossils give us insight into what they might have looked like and how they may have lived.

Victoria may have had one of the world’s most diverse array of small ornithopod dinosaurs, which had a surprisingly hardy ability to survive at least three months of winter darkness annually. These ornithopods moved around on two legs, ate plants, lived together in herds for safety, and included unique features such as large eyes for the gloomy light.

How do palaeontologists use evidence to learn about the types of dinosaurs that once lived in Australia?

In this program students will:

• Compare and contrast the size, shape, diet and other features of Australian dinosaurs
• Learn about the life cycle of a dinosaur
• Learn how palaeontologists work
• Examine the features of dinosaurs to determine how the animal moved on land, air or water

Students will:

• Compare and contrast a variety of Australian dinosaurs, focusing on size, shape, diet and physical features
• Design and create a model of an Australian dinosaur to show its physical characteristics and adaptations
• Construct a rotating life cycle wheel to illustrate and explain the life stages of a dinosaur
• Participate in a palaeontology dig, working to uncover and analyse fossil evidence
• Illustrate an Australian dinosaur in its habitat and label its physical features that help it survive.

Science – Science as a Human Endeavour

• Scientific knowledge is based on observations of the natural world using the senses, and scientific tools and instruments (VC2S2H01)
• Science is used by people in their daily lives, including asking questions and using patterns from observations of the world around them to make scientific predictions (VC2S2H02)

Science – Science Understanding

• Plants and animals have observable features that can be used to group them in different ways (VC2S2U01)
• Plants and animals have basic needs, including air, water, food and shelter; the places where they live meet those needs (VC2S2U02)
• Plants and animals have external features that perform different functions to enable their survival; in plants these features include roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, bulbs, trunks and branches while different features in animals enable them to move, breathe, eat and respond to their environment (VC2S2U03)

Science – Science Inquiry

• Experiences can be used as a basis for posing questions to explore observed patterns and relationships, and to make predictions (VC2S2I01)
• Observations can be compared to predictions and the observations of others, which may lead to further questions being identified (VC2S2I05)
• Observations, findings and ideas can be shared with others by using every-day and some scientific vocabulary (VC2S2I06)