Fun Fulgurotherium Facts For Kids

The Fulgurotherium, also known as Fulgurotherium australe, was known to inhabit present-day Australia and the fossil remains have been found in the Griman Creek Formation range. This Australian dinosaur lived in the Late Cretaceous period.

The Fulgurotherian dinosaur name means 'lightning beast' in reference to the Lightning Bridge site in the New South Wales range and the specific name means 'southern'. These dinosaurs reproduced sexually, the process in which the female laid eggs after the male deposited sperm inside the female body.

The fossil material of this dinosaur genus only consists of the partial and fragmentary opalized femur bone, that is, the bottom part. It has been quite difficult to determine what the dinosaur looked like but it was considered to be a bipedal dinosaur.

The Fulgurotherium size is considered to be around 39-59 in (100-150 cm). The diet of this dinosaur is known to be herbivorous just like all other ornithopods, and it would have been a plant-eater.

It was Friedrich Von Huene who named and described Fulgurotherium australe in 1932. This dinosaur was initially described as a theropod by Von Huene, but then later was classified as a primitive ornithopod.

According to some researchers, this dinosaur is nomen dubium. The original cast of this dinosaur is stored in the Australian Museum, whereas, the holotype is in London held by the Natural History Museum. Currently, no other fossils or material of this dinosaur have been discovered but the search is still in progress.

It is quite interesting to learn about this dinosaur and if you like, read about other dinosaurs like Marginocephalians and Heterodontosaurus.

Fulgurotherium Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Fulgurotherium'?

Fulgotherium pronunciation is 'Ful-go-ro-the-re-um'.

What type of dinosaur was a Fulgurotherium?

The Fulgurotherium (Fulgurotherium australe) was known to be a type of ornithischian dinosaur.

In which geological period did Fulgurotherium roam the earth?

This dinosaur from Australia belonged to the Late Cretaceous period. This dinosaur, Fulgurotherium australe, that belonged to the Late Cretaceous was known to be a bipedal creature, but the search for other features of this dinosaur is ongoing.

When did the Fulgurotherium become Extinct?

The time period of extinction of this dinosaur from Australia is not known.

Where did Fulgurotherium live?

This dinosaur is known to have lived in present-day Australia and a fossil specimen was found in Griman Creek Formation.

What was the Fulgurotherium's habitat?

The predicted habitat based on research and studies is considered to include forests, conifers, and ginkgoes.

Who did the Fulgurotherium live with?

It is not known whether these dinosaurs lived in groups or were solitary creatures.

How long did a Fulgurotherium live?

There is no information available about the lifespan of this dinosaur species.

How did they reproduce?

Reproduction of the Fulgurotherium dinosaur species took place sexually just like all other dinosaurs. The males used to deposit sperm inside the female's body and the female used to lay eggs that were fertilized and had developing embryos inside them. This process is common among all dinosaurs.

Fulgurotherium Fun Facts

What did Fulgurotherium look like?

The specimen remains of Fulgurotherium australe that have been found only consisted of the bottom part (opalized femur bone) that was partial and fragmentary. No other fossil or skeleton for this dinosaur has been found, meaning not a lot is known about this dinosaur's appearance.

For instance, nothing is known about the Fulgurotherium skull and its remains. This means nothing can be predicted about the size of the head and its features.

How many bones did a Fulgurotherium have?

The number of bones that this Late Cretaceous Australian dinosaur had is not known as whatever is known about this primitive ornithopod comes from the femur bone.

How did they communicate?

Communication of dinosaurs species happens through visual and vocal mediums like sounds, postures, and gestures.

How big was the Fulgurotherium?

The estimated body length of this Late Cretaceous ornithopod dinosaur from Australia, named Fulgotherium australe is around 39-59 in (100-150 cm).

How fast could a Fulgurotherium move?

The speed of the movement of this primitive ornithopod dinosaur is unknown.

How much did a Fulgurotherium weigh?

No information is available about the weight of this Australian dinosaur species as the only fossil found has consisted of the partial and fragmentary femur bone and no other part of the skeleton has been found.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of this Late Cretaceous dinosaur do not have any particular names.

What would you call a baby Fulgurotherium?

A baby of this genus is referred to as a hatchling.

What did they eat?

The diet of this ornithopod dinosaur is herbivorous, just like all other ornithopods. This means this dinosaur was a plant-eater. Some plants that were edible during the Early Cretaceous in Australia might have been horsetails and ferns.

How aggressive were they?

It is very difficult to quantify and determine the aggressiveness of these dinosaurs, but in general, dinosaurs were known to be quite aggressive and violent.

Did you know...

Fulgurotherium australe, the type species was named in 1932 by Friedrich von Huene.

The name of this dinosaur genus was derived from the Latin word 'fulgur' that means 'lighting' and a Greek word 'therion' that means 'beast'. It was kept in reference to a discovery site, Lightning Ridge in the New South Wales range.

The specific name, Fulgurotherium australe in Latin is known to mean 'southern'. The holotype is referred to as BMNH R. 3719.

Initially, Von Huene described this Late Cretaceous dinosaur to be a theropod, but later, this dinosaur was classified as a primitive ornithopod, a hypsilophodont. There is confusion about whether it is a member of Euornithopoda.

Some researchers believe it to be nomen dubium.

This Late Cretaceous dinosaur is one of the first Australian dinosaurs to be described scientifically.

It is considered a possibility that the Fulgurotherium and other ornithopods used to spend the colld months underground in southern regions.

The original cast of Fulgurotherium is stored in the Australian Museum, whereas, the holotype is in London held by the Natural History Museum.

Sometimes, there have been debates around the Victorian bones that have been found as some believe that they might belong to a close relative.

Why are they called the Fulgurotherium?

The name of this dinosaur, Fulgurotherium is known to mean 'lightning beast', and this name was given in reference to the site, Lightning Ridge in the New South Wales range.

Who discovered the Fulgurotherium?

It is believed that this dinosaur specimen was found by Tullie Cornthwaite Wollaston, an opal dealer. The exact time period of discovery of the fossil remains of this dinosaur is not known, but it was found sometime before or around 1909 in Australia.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Zephyrosaurus facts, or Notoceratops facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Fulgurotherium coloring pages.

Main image: Steveoc 86

*We've been unable to source an image of Fulgurotherium and have used an image of Parksosarus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Fulgurotherium, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.