Fossil emblem
The Muttaburrasaurus langdoni was officially recognised as Queensland’s fossil emblem in December 2023.
The search for a fossil emblem began after the Winton community petitioned the Queensland Parliament in 2020 for the Diamantinasaurus matildae to become Queensland’s official fossil emblem. In early 2021, the Queensland Government commenced a process to identify a shortlist of potential fossils for the first State fossil emblem. From April 2022 to July 2022, coinciding with the dinosaur tourism season, Queenslanders were invited to have their say on the new State fossil emblem by participating online to nominate their favourite emblem from 12 candidates. Among these choices, Muttaburrasaurus langdoni emerged as the clear favourite of Queenslanders . The recognition of the Muttaburra dinosaur in the Emblems of Queensland Act 2005 sees it join the state’s other official emblems, including the Cooktown Orchid, koala, Great Barrier Reef Anemone fish, brolga and sapphire.
About the Muttaburra dinosaur
The Muttaburra dinosaur roamed the Earth during the Cretaceous period, roughly about 100 million years ago. The dinosaur was about seven to eight metres in length, equivalent to the span of two average cars. Its herbivorous diet consisted of various plant species, including seed ferns, ferns and conifers.
The fossil remains of the Muttaburra dinosaur discovered in Muttaburra, located in Central Queensland where the Traditional Owners are the Iningai people and Bidjara people. The discovery of these ancient fossil bones were made by Doug Langdon, a local grazier, in 1963 as he was mustering cattle.
Download the Muttaburra dinosaur image
The reconstructed Muttaburrasaurus langdoni image is available for download, under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. There are specific conditions and restrictions around the image’s use, as it holds a non-commercial and no derivatives restriction. This means that the image is approved for educational, informational, or personal purposes, but any form of commercial use, such as promotions or profit, is strictly prohibited. Additionally, the image (including the acknowledgement caption 'Reconstruction of Muttaburrasaurus langdoni © Queensland Museum, Peter Waddington') must remain unaltered and used in its original form in accordance with this license.
For further information or inquiries regarding the usage of the Muttaburra dinosaur image, please contact the Queensland Museum.
