What did the Maiasaura look like?
Maiasaura were large, attaining a maximum known length of about 9 metres (30 ft). They had a flat beak typical of hadrosaurids, and thick noses. They had a small, spiky crest in front of the eyes. This crest may have been used in headbutting contests between males during the breeding season.
What kind of environment did the Maiasaura live in?
Specifically, Maiasaura lived during a time called the Campanian Age, approximately 77 million years ago. By studying the surrounding sediment at sites like Egg Mountain, it has been determined that Maiasaura lived in environments described as upper coastal plains.
When did Maiasaura live and where are the fossils found today?
Maiasaura, (genus Maiasaura), duck-billed dinosaurs (hadrosaurs) found as fossils from the Late Cretaceous Period (about 100 million to 65.5 million years old) of North America and whose discovery led to the theory that these bipedal herbivores cared for their young.
How many eggs did Maiasaura lay?
Maiasaura Females Laid 30 to 40 Eggs at a Time Maiasaura is most famous for its parenting behavior–and that behavior started with females, which laid up to 30 or 40 eggs at a time in carefully prepared nests.
Was Maiasaura a good mother?
Maiasaura was formerly named and described by American palaeontologists Jack Horner and Robert Makela in 1979. As this dinosaur was such a good mother, and since the fossilised adults were believed to be female, this dinosaur was named using the Latinised female gender.
How long did the Maiasaura live for?
about 100 to 65.5 million years ago
When and Where Maiasaura Lived Maiasaura lived about 100 to 65.5 million years ago.
What period did the Maiasaura live in?
86.3 million years ago – 70.6 million years ago (Santonian – Campanian)Maiasaura / Lived
Does Coelophysis have feathers?
Unfortunately, there’s one thing that no Coelophysis specimen has been preserved with, and that’s skin impressions, so we currently don’t know whether or not it had feathers or filaments. If it did, that would be mind-blowing; it would make Coelophysis the earliest known feathered dinosaur by about 50 million years.
Was a Maiasaura a predator or prey?
Maiasaura May Have Been Preyed on by Troodon During the late Cretaceous period, Maiasaura lived in a fairly complex ecosystem, sharing its territory not only with other hadrosaurs (such as Gryposaurus and Hypacrosaurus) but also meat-eating dinosaurs like Troodon and Bambiraptor.
What is a Maiasaura and where did it live?
Maiasaura is a large, herbivore that lived 65 to 80 million years ago during the late Cretaceous Period. This dinosaur was first discovered in 1979 by Jack Horner and Robert Makela in Montana.
How did the dinosaur Maiasaura get its name?
This dinosaur was first discovered in 1979 by Jack Horner and Robert Makela in Montana. They then named it Maiasaura—a name which means “caring mother lizard.” They gave this dinosaur that name because they found its fossils in the same area as large fossilized nests.
What does a Maiasaura look like?
Maiasaura was approximately 30 feet long, 8 feet tall and probably weighed around 4 tons. It was a duck-billed dinosaur that had a flattened skull and bony crests positioned in front of its eyes. Its beak didn’t have any teeth, but this dinosaur did have cheek teeth—and many sharp ones at that.
How fast can a Maiasaura run?
About Maiasaura. Some paleontologists have stated that they believe this dinosaur to have been capable of moving at a speed of about 25 miles per hour. This would have allowed it to escape carnivores. It may have also been able to butt predators, much like a rhinoceros, if it got cornered.