DinoGuide: Edmontosaurus regalis

Edmontosaurus and other duck-billed dinosaurs, or hadrosaurs, were very common in the northern hemisphere during the Late Cretaceous Period. Some species of duck-billed dinosaurs moved about in herds numbering hundreds or thousands of individuals.

When first discovered, hadrosaurs were thought to be water dwellers. Later study showed that while the body is built for land, the broad tail enabled these animals to move very easily through water. The paddle-like hands of Edmontosaurus support this observation.

The snout of Edmontosaurus ended in a large, broad beak suitable for cropping vegetation. Up to 2,000 tightly packed teeth at the back of the jaws were used for chewing and grinding tough plant material.

Edmontosaurus is displayed in Dinosaurs in Their Time as the carcass over which two T. rex specimens are fighting. Edmontosaurus would have been a common prey animal for T. rex.

CARNEGIE SPECIMEN NUMBER:
CM 26258

SCIENTIFIC NAME MEANING:
"Royal reptile from Edmonton, Canada"

CLASSIFICATION:
Dinosauria : Ornithischia : Ornithopoda : Hadrosauridae : Hadrosaurinae

LENGTH:
Up to 40 feet (10 meters)

GEOLOGICAL FORMATION & LOCALITY:
Horseshoe Canyon Formation; Red Deer River Valley, Alberta, Canada

COLLECTOR:
Exchange from Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; collected for ROM by Levi Sternberg, 1931

TIME PERIOD:
Late Cretaceous, 66–71 million years ago

Back to DinoGuide