Is the banjo a ferocious predator? It seems so.
Three new species of dinosaurs have been discovered in Australia. The three were named after the Australian poet Banjo Paterson and characters in his poetry (Waltzing Matilda).
The dino named Banjo is said to be a rather large and scary version of the raptor made famous by the movie Jurassic Park.
The carnivore, which has the scientific classification Australovenator wintonensis, has therefore been dubbed “Banjo” after Banjo Patterson, who composed the song in Winton in 1885.
Queensland Museum palaeontologist Scott Hucknell said the creature would have been a terrifying prospect.
“The cheetah of his time, Banjo was light and agile. He could run down most prey with ease over open ground,” he told reporters.
Apparently the monster’s distinguishing features include “three large slashing claws” on each hand. Sounds appropriate for a dino named Banjo!
If you’d like to read more about Banjo, check here, here, here, and here.
