Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe mentioned the selection of the long-lasting dinosaur because the state’s fossil emblem would hopefully drive extra outback tourism.
“Everyone loves dinosaurs, they generate hundreds of thousands of {dollars} for the customer economic system, and we need to see outback Queensland proceed to develop as Australia’s paleo capital,” he mentioned.
“That’s why the Palaszczuk authorities is investing in a dinosaur tourism street map to focus on Queensland’s greatest prehistoric experiences.”
Queensland Museum Community chief government Dr Jim Thompson mentioned whereas all 12 nominees have been worthy fossils, he was glad the museum’s dinosaur had been chosen.
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“Mutt, as individuals affectionately name it, is among the most full skeletons of an Australian dinosaur, and it’s an ideal ambassador for palaeontology and dinosaur historical past,” he mentioned.
Queensland Museum palaeontologist Dr Scott Hocknull credit Mutt with sparking his personal curiosity within the subject.
“I began volunteering on the Queensland Museum as a child 30 years in the past and Muttaburrasaurus was the primary dinosaur fossil I set to work on,” he mentioned.
“I used to dig dinosaurs as a child, however now I do it for actual, and I can thank Muttaburrasaurus for this.”
The addition of a state fossil was prompted by a petition final yr from the Australian Age of Dinosaurs museum, within the outback Queensland city of Winton, which advised the fossil of Diamantinasaurus matildae, a closely constructed titanosaur, be made the official state fossil.
Diamantinasaurus got here third within the ballot with 977 votes.
In all, 12 contenders have been put ahead for the general public to determine, together with Kronosaurus queenslandicus, an historical aquatic reptile, Obdurodon dicksoni, an early platypus with tooth, and Lovellea wintonensis, an historical flower.
Muttaburrasaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur that lived in northeastern Australia over 100 million years in the past through the early Cretaceous interval.
A partial skeleton was first found in 1963 by native grazier Doug Langdon at a property close to the outback Queensland city of Muttaburra.
It was formally named Muttaburrasaurus langdoni by Queensland Museum palaeontologists in 1981 in honour of Muttaburra and Langdon.
NSW, Western Australia and South Australia all have official state fossils – two historical fish and an historical sea worm.