FAMILY HADROSAURIDAE
See: Edmontosaurus regalis
Edmontosaurus was one of the largest known duckbilled Hadrosaurid, which foraged for plants in the ancient forests of what is now western North America. This 12 metre (40 feet) long dinosaur had a broad, flat snout with a horny covering, and a large tooth less beak that looked very much like those of ducks. While its bill was quite toothless, Edmontosaurus’ inner jaw contained many teeth. These teeth were perfect for grinding up plants and though vegetation. As soon as they wore down, new teeth would grow quickly in their place. Edmontosaurus probably had more than 1,000 teeth in its mouth at any given time.
Edmontosaurus’ jaw was similar to that of Iguanodon. Both dinosaurs could move their jaw side to side, making it much easier to grind and chew the plants. The strangest features of Edmontosaurus are its huge nostrils. Palaeontologists believe that these nostrils could have been covered with large flaps of loose skin. This skin could have been inflatable, allowing Edmontosaurus to make loud noises. These inflatable nostrils could also have been brightly coloured and used for attraction or as a way for individual Edmontosaurus’ to recognise each other.
Order: Ornithischia
Sub order: Ornithopoda
Family: Hadrosauridae
When Lawrence Lambe discovered Gryposaurus in Canada he also noticed the large hook like arch on top of its snout. This led him to name it Gryposaurus, which means griffin lizard in Greek. This also suggests that these hadrosaurid members lived mostly in the plains of Canada in North America. This dinosaur was a large, plant-eating late Hadrosaurid. It measured about 9 metres (30 feet) in length and weighed 4 to 5 tons. It was certainly huge.
Gryposaurus living in Late Cretaceous period around 81 million years ago helped it self with its duck-bill to tear the rough plants. Gryposaurus could have been a social dinosaur or a loner since there are no fossils in which Gryposaurus is in a herd. They walked on their two rears and grazed on or walked on all fours.
Order: Ornithischia
Sub order: Ornithopoda
Family: Hadrosauridae
Period: Cretaceous
Discovered: Leidy, 1859
Size: 10 metres
Order: Ornithischia
Sub order: Ornithopoda
Family: Hadrosauridae
See: Gryposaurus notabilis
The discovery of large number of Maiasaura fossils has given scientists a new insight into the social behaviour of the dinosaurs. It turns out the duck-billed Maiasaura liked to hang out together and take care of their young. There are two major clues that the scientists have used to come to these conclusions. One is a vast bone yard that scientists have discovered in western Montana. The area is filled with as many as 10,000 skeletons of one particular kind of Hadrosaurid, the Maiasaura. Also, these skeletons range from about 2 metres long to 6.5 metres long, suggesting this herd was made up of different age Maiasaura. Apparently they had died from the smoke and fumes and ash of an exploding volcano. This significant shows Maiasaura wasn't a loner.
Why weren't these big strapping young dinosaurs out on their own? This is the question the scientists had, and there are two possible answers, both which suggest these dinosaurs had a strong family relation. Either the parents brought the food for their young or they themselves went out for food and returned to their nest. Both suggest a strong family relation between children and parents. No wonder the word Maiasaura means 'good mother lizard'.
Order: Ornithischia
Suborder: Ornithopoda
Family: Hadrosauridae
Saurolophus, meaning 'reptile diver' was named during the early years. They were under a wrong impression that it was a water reptile. They thought that the head crest was always kept out of the water surface and it helped the dinosaur in breathing under water. But later it was made sure that the crest was for attraction or to produce a strange noise indicating danger.
Saurolophus was a plant-eating dinosaur that measured about 11 metres (36.6 feet) long and weighed 7 tons. This dinosaur lived in the Cretaceous period, around 82 million years ago. Another fact of this dinosaur is its huge nostrils. Palaeontologists believe that it had a loose inflatable skin over the nostrils, that were in such a way that when the dinosaur would blow hard in it, it would bulge up and there by produce a loud noise. This is more over like an Edmontosaurus.
Order: Ornithischia
Sub order: Ornithopoda
Family: Hadrosauridae
It is smallest hadrosaur
Period: Cretaceous
Size: 3 metres
Weight: .25 tons
Location: South America
Order: Ornithischia
Sub order: Ornithopoda
Family: Hadrosauridae
Shantungosaurus was the largest of all the duck billed dinosaurs or the hadrosaurs. It measured about 15 metres in length. The fossils of this hadrosaur have been discovered in China, and have been studied to come from the Cretaceous period.
Shantungosaurus had a duck-bill and fed on the rough Cretaceous vegetation in herds. It could walk on its two long hind limbs or sometimes use support from all its four limbs.
Order: Ornithischia
Sub order: Ornithopoda
Family: Hadrosauridae
Though North America is one of the main places dinosaurs have been found, it is not the only place. In Transylvania, scientists have found the smallest Hadrosaurid. It was the Telmatosaurus, it was also one of the last dinosaur living about a 90 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period.
Telmatosaurus measured 4.5 metres (15 feet) in length, and weighed only about 1 tons, that is one-tenth the size of other hadrosaurids. This dinosaur's teeth resembled like its ancestor Trachodon. Telmatosaurus roamed in the places like Romania and southern France in Europe. They lived in herds on the plains near the rivers. Like all the other Hadrosaurids it had a duckbill which aided it in ripping the vegetation.
Telmatosaurus walked on two hind legs and also on all fours. It is also believed that like its relative Trachodon, Telmatosaurus too had webbed toes and hands helping in swimming.
Order: Ornithischia
Sub order: Ornithopoda
Family: Hadrosauridae
Period: Cretaceous
Size: 10 metres
Weight: 5 tons
Location: China, Asia.
Order: Ornithischia
Sub order: Ornithopoda
Family: Hadrosauridae
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