The Armored Dinosaur of the Cretaceous
Minmi was a small, herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period, approximately 110 million years ago.
| Meaning | Named after Minmi Crossing in Australia |
| Pronunciation | MIN-mee |
| When: | Early Cretaceous (about 133–120 million years ago) |
| Where: | Australia (Queensland) |
| What: | Ankylosaur (armored herbivorous) |
| Weight: | Estimated around 300–500 kg (660–1,100 pounds) |
| Length: | Approximately 3–4 meters (10–13 feet) |
| Diet: | Herbivorous (ate low-lying vegetation) |
| Discovered: | First described by Ralph Molnar in 1980 |
It belonged to a group of dinosaurs known as ankylosaurs, characterized by their heavily armored bodies and unique bony plates embedded in their skin.
Minmi was relatively small compared to other ankylosaurs, measuring about 3 meters (10 feet) in length.
One of the distinctive features of Minmi was its body armor, which consisted of rows of bony plates called osteoderms.
These plates provided protection against predators like large theropod dinosaurs. Minmi also had a club-like tail, which it could use to defend itself by swinging against attackers.
Fossils of Minmi have been found in Australia, particularly in Queensland, where it was first discovered in the mid-1980s.