Millions of years ago, Richmond’s landscape was completely submerged and was home to numerous species of ancient sea creatures, some of which are now extinct. The Kronosaurus Korner Museum in Richmond, Queenland, preserves evidence of the early Cretaceous Period by collecting fossils found in the area.
One of these extinct creatures is the kronosaurus queenslandicus, which has been recreated into an enormous sculpture of the fierce reptile. The Big Kronosaurus represents the largest marine creature known to have ever lived in the great inland sea.
A Brief History of the Kronosaurus
Fossils of the first Kronosaurus were discovered in the 1920s near Hughenden. This carnivorous sea reptile measured 11 metres in length, and its skull alone was almost 2 metres. Its head resembled an alligator’s and had jaws arranged with sharp teeth, the longest growing up to 30 centimetres long. It also had two pairs of flapping limbs and a tail.
This reptile was believed to be a vicious predator back then; it was named after a horrifying Olympian god, Kronos, who reportedly ate his children. According to paleontological research, the remains of the creature’s stomach revealed that it consumed other sea creatures such as turtles. Interestingly, fossils of this predator’s food have also been preserved in the museum.
More fossils of different sea species of extinct marine creatures, such as fish, ammonites, and squids, were continually located in Richmond. As a result, the museum was opened in 1995 to preserve these fossils, attract tourists, and facilitate paleontology research and fossil hunting.
The Big Kronosaurus perfectly represents other extinct creatures of the great inland sea that existed over 100 million years ago.
Other Similar Big Things of Australia
The list of Big Things of Australia consists of several other extinct creatures. Dinosaurs, for instance, have been well-represented.
Examples include the Big Dinosaur in Yarrawonga, Northern Territory, and Ploddy the Dinosaur, located in Somersby, New South Wales.
