Shantungosaurus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shantungosaurus Fossil range: Late Cretaceous |
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 Shantungosaurus
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Shantungosaurus, meaning "Shandong Lizard", is a genus of flat headed hadrosaurid dinosaurs found in the Late Cretaceous Wangshi Formation of the Shandong Peninsula in China. It is one of the longest and largest known hadrosaurids; the composite skeleton of a medium-sized individual mounted at the Geological Institute of China in Beijing measures 14.72 meters (49 ft) in length,[1] and the type skull is 1.63 meters (5.35 ft) long.[2] The weight of this genus is estimated at up to 16.0 tonnes (17.6 tons).[3] Like all hadrosaurs its beak was toothless, but its jaws were packed with around 1,500 tiny chewing teeth. A large hole near its nostrils may have been covered by a loose flap, which could be inflated to make sounds.
[edit] Discovery and species
Discovered in 1964, Shantungosaurus is known from five incomplete skeletons. Based on the material known to date, it is very similar to, and shares many characteristics with Edmontosaurus.
[edit] References
- ^ Glut, Donald F. (1997). "Shantungosaurus", Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co, 816-817. ISBN 0-89950-917-7.
- ^ Hu Chengzhi; Cheng Zhengwu; Pang Qiping; and Fang Xiaosi (2001). Shantungosaurus giganteus (in Chinese). Beijing: Geological Publishing House, 123-135 [English abstract]. ISBN 7-116-03472-2.
- ^ Horner, John R.; Weishampel, David B.; and Forster, Catherine A (2004). "Hadrosauridae", in Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press, 438-463. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
- Dong Zhiming (1992). Dinosaurian Faunas of China. China Ocean Press, Beijing. ISBN 3-540-52084-8.
- Mallam, John (2003). Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Parragon Publishing, UK. 157.
