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Aussies Dig Up 3 New Dinosaurs
Dinos from Down Under evolved separately from cousins elsewhere
By Rob Quinn
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Posted Jul 3, 09 6:45 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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The skeletons of three previously unknown species of dinosaur have been found in the Australian Outback, reports ABC News of Australia. The dinosaurs—two big herbivores and a fearsome carnivore—roamed about 100 million years ago. One of the herbivores is similar to a hippo and the other to a giraffe. The carnivore had three slashing claws on each hand and was the "cheetah of its day," one paleontologist tells the BBC.
The 20-foot-long Australovenator has been nicknamed "Banjo" after famous Outback poet Banjo Paterson. His unofficial Aussie national anthem, "Waltzing Matilda," tells the tale of an outlaw who drowns in one of the country's "billabong" lakes—the same fate that scientists say befell the three dinosaurs.