Maiasaura facts for kids
Quick facts for kids MaiasauraTemporal range: Late Cretaceous
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Fossil
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Maiasaura
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| Maiasaura peeblesorum |
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Maiasaura was a large, plant-eating, duck-billed dinosaur. Maiasaura was the first dinosaur that was found alongside its young, eggs, and nests. This suggests that Maiasaura nurtured its young.
About Maiasaura
Maiasaura lived about 80 to 65 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period. It was described as a kind and good natured dinosaur who ate plants, leaves and berries. It ate no meat at all since it was a herbivore. Its name Maiasaura means “Good Mother Lizard”. It was named this because scientists discovered that it looked after its young. Maiasaura measured about 9 metres long, 2-2.5 metres tall and weighed around 1800 kg.
Where they live
Maiasaurs fossils were found in Montana, United States.
Images for kids
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Skull cast, Royal Ontario Museum
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Reconstructed cast by Jack Horner of a Maiasaura emerging from its egg
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Cast of a juvenile skeleton
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Life restorations of an adult and juvenile
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Reconstructed nest
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Reconstruction of a nest with eggs
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Illustration of a herd of Maiasaura walking along a creekbed, as found in the semi-arid Two Medicine Formation fossil bed. This region was characterized by volcanic ash layers and conifer, fern and horsetail vegetation.
