120 million years ago (Aptian), Wontaghi formation, Victoria
Due to the moving of tectonic plates Australia was much more closer to the Antarctic circle, which caused the environment to experience drastic changes in seasons, much like polar environments today. Currently it's summer and as a result, it triggers a period of non-stop 3 months of constant sunlight without the sun setting. While in the Autumn and Spring it would have fluctuating lengths of nighttime and daylight. In the winter meanwhile it would have been a period of 3 months of near total darkness without the sun's rising and it would get so cold to the point where snow would fall.
Forests consist of conifers, tree ferns, gingko trees and podocarps. Meanwhile the undergrowth would have consisted of ferns, horsetail, fungi and even angiosperms (flowering plants).
There are many animals who call this valley home with the most common being insects. Which includes beetles, flies, damselflies, mayflies, stoneflies, cockroaches, scorpion flies, caddisflies and wasps.
Feeding on these insects were mammals, one of them being Ausktribosphenos.
There are many species of mammals in this environment, but almost all of them have the exact same size, being incredibly small, no bigger than a human palm.
Souring through the skies above are anhanguerid pterosaurs and even birds, who are no bigger than today's flinches. Birds are coming down to take a drink near a river and also peck the ground looking for seed and very small insects.
But they get spooked by a much larger animal called Qantassaurus.
They belong to the group called elasmaria, an extremely successful and diverse group of mainly small Ornithischians that thrived in the Southern hemisphere. In fact, the most commonly found dinosaurs of this region are elasmarians.
This female is in a small family group composed of her mate and her five chicks, who are half her size. The pair gently rub their faces against one another showcasing their bond.
The adults are 3 meters long, 0.5 meters tall and weigh in around 125 g. The adults have a feathers covering their body, except their feet, while the chicks have it around their entire body and have slightly bigger eyes and shorter faces. The adults have a beige red coat of feathers, while their young have a light brown coat of feathers, with vertical green stripes.
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Mesozoic stories from australia
De TodoThis takes place in Australia between the Albian and Cenomanian stages of the cretaceous and each story will focus on a different animal 1. and 2. Toobelic formation 3. Winton formation