Jurassic June: Minmi

Name: Minmi (Min-My)

Name after: the Minmi crossing, Australia

Minmi was a small armored herbivore of the Early Cretaceous (133-120 million years ago). It was no bigger than a dog, growing about ten feet in length. This dinosaur belonged to a the ankylosaur family, and like most ankylosaurs they had bony armor that protected them from predators. It was one of the few dinosaur fossils that is found in Australia.

Its full name is Minmi paravertebrae. The reason for its name is that, unlike other ankylosaurs, it had thin bony rods going along its spine. Why these bony rods are like this is unclear. It is suggested that, along with its unusually long legs, they helped Minmi outrun predators rather than solely rely on its armor for protection.

For a while this dinosaur held the record for having the shortest dinosaur name in discovery until it was surpassed by the discovery of the dinosaurs Mei and Yi.

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