Hadrosaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hadrosaurus |
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| Reconstructed skeleton, Academy of Natural Sciences | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Suborder: | †Ornithopoda |
| Family: | †Hadrosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Hadrosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Hadrosaurus Leidy, 1858 |
| Type species | |
| †Hadrosaurus foulkii Leidy, 1858
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Hadrosaurus (say "HAD-roh-SAWR-us") was a type of plant-eating dinosaur that lived during the Upper Cretaceous period. This was about 80 to 78 million years ago. It belongs to a group of dinosaurs called hadrosaurids, also known as "duck-billed" dinosaurs. Hadrosaurus foulkii is the only known species in its genus. It is also the official state dinosaur of New Jersey.
Scientists found the first Hadrosaurus bones in 1858. This discovery was very important. It helped us learn a lot about dinosaurs.
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Discovery of Hadrosaurus
The first Hadrosaurus bones were found in a marl pit in Haddonfield, New Jersey. A marl pit is a place where a type of soil rich in clay and calcium carbonate is dug up. This soil is often used as fertilizer. In 1858, a local man named William Foulke found the bones. He contacted a famous scientist named Joseph Leidy.
Leidy studied the bones carefully. He realized they belonged to a large, unknown dinosaur. This discovery was very exciting. It was one of the first nearly complete dinosaur skeletons found in North America. Before this, most dinosaur finds were only single bones.
What Made Hadrosaurus Special?
The discovery of Hadrosaurus was a big deal for several reasons.
- It was the first dinosaur found with a good number of bones. This helped scientists understand what dinosaurs looked like.
- It was the first dinosaur skeleton to be put together and displayed for people to see. This happened in 1868.
- It showed that dinosaurs could walk on two legs, like a kangaroo. This was a new idea at the time.
Scientists named the dinosaur Hadrosaurus foulkii. The name Hadrosaurus means "heavy lizard." The "foulkii" part honors William Foulke, who found the bones.
Why Its Name is Debated
Today, some scientists debate if Hadrosaurus is a "good" genus. This is because the original bones found did not include a skull. Skulls are very important for telling different dinosaur species apart. Without a skull, it's hard to know if Hadrosaurus is truly unique from other similar duck-billed dinosaurs.
Even with this debate, Hadrosaurus remains famous. It is still recognized as the official state dinosaur of New Jersey.
Images for kids
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Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins' mounted Hadrosaurus, the first mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world
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Photograph of the site where the fossils were found (2010)
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Plates from Leidy's description
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Displayed casts of the 35 known bones at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences
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Cranial and postcranial elements from the holotype
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Life restoration
See also
In Spanish: Hadrosaurus foulkii para niños
