The Duck-Billed Dinosaur
Hadrosaurus was a fascinating dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, around 70 million years ago.
| Meaning | Bulky lizard [Hadro-saurus] |
| Pronunciation | HAD-ro-sore-us |
| When: | Late Cretaceous (about 80–75 million years ago) |
| Where: | North America (USA, New Jersey) |
| What: | Hadrosaur (duck-billed herbivorous) |
| Weight: | Estimated around 2.5 metric tons |
| Length: | Approximately 7–10 meters (23–33 feet) |
| Diet: | Herbivorous (ate plants and leaves) |
| Discovered: | First described by Joseph Leidy in 1858 |
It was a member of the hadrosaurid family, often referred to as “duck-billed dinosaurs” because of their broad, flattened snouts that resembled a duck’s bill.
Hadrosaurus was a large herbivore, measuring about 10 meters (33 feet) in length and weighing up to 4 tons.
Hadrosaurus had strong, sturdy limbs and could walk on both two legs and four, allowing it to reach vegetation of various heights.
Its mouth was equipped with hundreds of tightly packed teeth, perfect for grinding up tough plant material.
This dinosaur’s fossils were first discovered in New Jersey, USA, and it was one of the first nearly complete dinosaur skeletons found in North America.
The discovery of Hadrosaurus was significant because it provided the first clear evidence that some dinosaurs were bipedal.