ZoomDinosaurs.com Dinosaur and Paleontology Dictionary

A Hadrosaur footprint.

Hadrosaurs had a stiff tail that was probably used for balance. They had hoof-like nails on their feet, and bumpy skin. They ran on two legs, holding their tail and head in a horizontal position. They may have walked on all four legs while grazing. Hadrosaurs probably lived near bodies of water, migrating to high ground to lay eggs. It used to be thought that they had webbed hands, but this was an artifact of the fossilization process.

Hadrosaurs are closely related to the Iguanodontids, and are probably their descendants. Hadrosaurs were Ornithischians (the order of bird-hipped dinosaurs) and Ornithopods ("bird-footed" herbivores with hoof-like feet). Hadrosaurs are divided into two groups, the Hadrodsaurinae (non-crested hadrosaurs) and the Lambeosaurinae (hadrosaurs that had skull crests that connected with their nasal passages).

Hadrosaurs lived during the late Cretaceous period. Their fossils have been found in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Although it has been long believed that hadrosaurs originated in Asia, the new find, Protohadros byrdi, seems to shift the birthplace of hadrosaurs to North America. Protohadros byrdi dates from 95.5 million years ago, was recently found in Texas, USA.

The following are some examples of Hadrosaurs:

HADROSAURINAE Duck-bills with a flat skull or a skull with bony bumps or crest.
EDMONTOSAURUS	HADROSAURUS	MAIASAURA
LAMBEOSAURINAE Duck-bills with hollow, bony, head crests, shorter lower jaws, and shorter limbs
CORYTHOSAURUS	LAMBEOSAURUS	PARASAUROLOPHUS

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