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What type of dinosaur is Maiasaura?
hadrosaur
Immortalized as the “good mother dinosaur,” Maiasaura was a typical hadrosaur, or duck-billed dinosaur, of late Cretaceous North America.
Why was Maiasaura important?
Decades of research on Montana’s state fossil — the “good mother lizard” Maiasaura peeblesorum – has resulted in the most detailed life history of any dinosaur known and created a model to which all other dinosaurs can be compared, according to new research published today in the journal Paleobiology.
How did Maiasaura get its name?
The genus was named in 1979. The name refers to the find of nests with eggs, embryos and young animals, in a nesting colony. These showed that Maiasaura fed its young while they were in the nest, the first time such evidence was obtained for a dinosaur. Hundreds of bones of Maiasaura have been dug up.
How did Maiasaura go extinct?
If these dinosaurs did not get extinct until the end of the cretaceous period, they may have been washed off the surface of earth around 66 million years ago – since it was around his time that the cretaceous period was brought to an end with a meteor collision!
How old is Maiasaura?
about 100 million to 65.5 million years old
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.
What did the Maiasaura eat?
It had to eat constantly to get enough food to maintain its weight. It probably had to eat many pounds of leaves, berries, seeds and woody plants each day to survive. Maiasaura migrated, which means they moved to different places during different seasons, in search of food.
How was the Maiasaura found?
Discovery. Maiasaura was discovered by dinosaur paleontologist Jack Horner (paleontologic advisor for the Jurassic Park movies). He named the dinosaur after finding a series of nests with remains of eggshells and hatchlings. This was the first proof of giant dinosaurs raising and feeding their young.
Who discovered Maiasaura?
paleontologist Jack Horner
Discovery. Maiasaura was discovered by dinosaur paleontologist Jack Horner (paleontologic advisor for the Jurassic Park movies). He named the dinosaur after finding a series of nests with remains of eggshells and hatchlings. This was the first proof of giant dinosaurs raising and feeding their young.
What 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.