Fun Kakuru Facts For Kids

The Kakuru is an ancient dinosaur that probably lived during the early Cretaceous period on earth. Their fragmentary fossil specimen was discovered from a part in South Australia.

Therefore, this ancient genus was believed to be a part of the South Australian ecosystem. The name Kakuru is quite an unusual name for a dinosaur. The genus Kakuru was named by Molnar and Pledge after the Australian mythological character called the rainbow serpent and the species is named after an aboriginal tribe called Guyani.

Molnar and Pledge assigned them as theropod dinosaurs but their broader classifications were uncertain. Therefore Pledge and Molnar regarded it as a Theropoda incertae sedis.

The fossil remains of the dinosaur mainly consisted of a tibia or the shin bone. The tibia was recovered from the opal field of Andamooka. The long length of the tibia indicated that the dinosaur probably belonged to the Coelurosauria order consisting of feathered dinosaurs.

However, they had a high ascending astragalus which was more of an  Abelisauroidea clade characteristic. To know more facts about the dinosaur, keep on reading these amazing facts.

For similar content, check out Suskityrannus and Baryonyx facts too.

Kakuru Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Kakuru'?

The generic name is easy to pronounce and is pronounced as 'Ka-koo-roo'. The type specimen of the Kakuru is called Kakuru kujani. The specific name is pronounced as 'koo-yan-ee'. The pronunciation of the letter J is silent in the specific name of the specimen.

What type of dinosaur was a Kakuru?

The Kakuru is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Early Cretaceous period on earth. Due to the lack of enough fossil material and the inconspicuous nature of the existing fossils, the phylogeny and the taxonomical classification of the dinosaur become confusing.

In which geological period did the Kakuru roam the earth?

The Kakuru existed during the Early Cretaceous period. The excavated tibia bone of the dinosaur Kakuru kujani suggests that they lived throughout the Aptian stage of the Lower Cretaceous. The geological pan of the Aptian stage ranger from 113-125 million years ago. These dinosaurs existed during this geological period.

When did the Kakuru become extinct?

The Kakuru dinosaur was a part of the Aptian stage of the Cretaceous era. The dinosaurs went extinct during the transition of the Aptian age to the Albian age. This transition took place around 113 million ago consequently, they became extinct 113 million years ago.

Where did a Kakuru live?

The Kakuru kujani fossils were discovered from the Andamooka opal field in South Australia. The skeleton of these dinosaurs was a part of the Maree Formation of Australia. Accordingly, the Kakuru is believed to be an Australian dinosaur genus.

What was a Kakuru's habitat?

It is tough to determine the actual nature of the kakuru from the limited material stock. Some considered it to be a feathered dinosaur but they were bipedal and territorial dinosaurs that preferrable lived in terrestrial habitats.

Who did a Kakuru live with?

A single Kakuru specimen was discovered from the opal field. So it is difficult to determine whether they lived by forming packs or not.

How long did a Kakuru live?

The Kakuru of the Cretaceous era was widespread throughout the Aptian stage THey lived for a span of 12 million years ranging from 125 million years ago to 113 million years ago.

How did they reproduce?

The reproduction of the Kakuru dinosaurs was oviparous in nature. They reproduced by laying eggs in the nest and the juveniles emerged from them. The rest of the information regarding their reproduction is not known.

Kakuru Fun Facts

What did a Kakuru look like?

The only bone that was available was the shin bone. So their physical appearance has not been properly described. However, it is inferred from the fossils that these dinosaurs had long legs and slender legs.

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

How many bones did a Kakuru have?

The total number of Kakuru bones present in the body of the dinosaur is unknown. Limited fossils of the species have been discovered and it is still considered to be a dubious theropod. They are majorly known from the opalized tibia and some fragmentary materials of the fibula.

How did they communicate?

Similar to all dinosaurs, communication was mainly vocal or visual.

How big was a Kakuru?

The length of Kakuru ranged between 6.5-9.8 ft (2-3 m) and the height ranging between 5-6.5 ft (1.5-2 m). They were more or less similar in length to the Stygimoloch.

How fast could a Kakuru move?

The small size of the Kakuru probably helped these bipedal dinosaurs to move fast but their speed has not been determined.

How much did a Kakuru weigh?

The Kakuru was a small and slender dinosaur, but unfortunately their weight is not determined.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Males and females do not have specific names and are referred to as Kakuru.

What would you call a baby Kakuru?

A baby Kakuru is called a nestling.

What did they eat?

There is no elaborate data on the food habits of the dinosaur. The only thing that is known is that they had a carnivorous diet.

How aggressive were they?

The Kakuru was a small carnivorous dinosaur which makes them slightly aggressive.

Did you know...

For a long time, the opalized Kakuru skeleton was kept in a South Australian gem shop until it caught the eyes of an Australian paleontologist named Neville Pledge.

What does the name 'Kakuru' mean?

Kakuru is an Australian genus of theropod dinosaurs whose fragmentary remains were spotted in the Andamooka field of South Australia. They get their name from the legendary Australian character called the rainbow serpent.

When the tibia of the dinosaur was recovered from the opal field of Andamooka, it was observed that the fossilized tibia turned into an opal by the process of hydration. In 1973, Pledge and Molnar started examining the opalized tibia from the produced sketches and photos, which indicated that it was a theropod.

The genus of the extinct dinosaur was named Kakuru after the Australian mythological character called, rainbow serpent.

Australian people believed that the rainbow serpent was a living rainbow. The tibia of the Kakuru that was discovered from Andaomoka gave off all the colors rainbow after it got transformed into a rainbow-colored gem called opal.

The specific name kujani refers to an indigenous aboriginal tribe of Australia called Guyani. The aboriginal Guyani tribe had legends about the rainbow serpent and it was referred to as Kakuru by them.

What is the Kakuru known from?

The Kakuru is an Early Cretaceous theropod dinosaur that possibly lived in South Australian territories. Its fragmentary fossils were discovered from the opal field of Andamooka in South Australia.

These dinosaurs are mainly known from a slender and unusually fossilized tibia that was transformed into opal by the process of hydration. Apart from the slender tibia, some other bone fragments were also recovered from the place.

Possibly some fragments of the fibula were also discovered and later, a digit of the dinosaur foot was discovered. The recovered tibia bone of the dinosaur was dismantled into 10 large pieces.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Procompsognathus interesting facts, or Xiaotingia facts for kids.

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