The classic polar dinosaur Leaellynasaura amicagraphica. I figured it's been quite some time since I reconstructed a small or mid-sized dinosaur, and decided it'd be fun to take on this species. It was somewhat popularized by the Walking with Dinosaurs episode "Spirits of the Ice Forest", in which it's shown as a stereotypical, short-tailed and scaly herbivore. In reality it may have had an extraordinarily long tail, the longest among ornithischians. It was also composed of a large number of vertebrae, and may have been far more flexible than most dinosaur tails (hence the pose I've given it).While Australia at the time was not as cold as the poles today (or rather, at pre-industrial temperatures), it would have been in the Antarctic circle during the Early Cretaceous period. As such, I've given it an extensive covering of filaments that greatly alters the animal's skeletal silhouette. I've based this covering as well as the coloration on living birds from temperate or polar regions, such as ptarmigan, grouse, turkeys, etc. Given the flexibility and remarkable length of the tail, I feel as though it may have been an effective display structure. I've covered it in some long filaments with some reddish tones. The final speculative touch is the eye color. That deep blueish-purple is based on some living arctic animals that develop this color in the winter to see better in low-light conditions. Leaellynasaura would've spent several months of the year in complete darkness, and I think this would have been useful. Again, this is entirely speculative but I'm not sure it isn't possible.Check out a head detail here: www.deviantart.com/prehistoryb… References: