Produced by the Population Genetics and Evolution class, Furman University

The Cretaceous: Hadrosaurs
Hadrosaurids were quadrupedal, “duck-billed” dinosaurs of the family Hadrosauridae, inculding the genera Parasaurolophus and Edmontosaurus (Wikipedia 2010). They were herbivores that existed in Asia, Europe, and North America (Wikipedia 2010), and are considered to be the “prehistoric equivalent” to modern cattle (Dinosaur.about 2010). The large number of fossils for this group allow for a more thorough description of its ecology than rarer groups. They appear to be herd animals, perhaps living in groups of hundreds or thousands of individuals (Dinosaur.about 2010). They had thick torsos, massive, inflexible tails, tough beaks and numerous teeth in specialized cheeks; in fact, some had as many as 1,000 teeth (Dinosaur.about 2010). The two subfamilies are distinguished by the presence or absence of a crest on the skull: Lambeosaurinae had crest on their skulls, whereas, Hadrosaurinae did not (Waggoner 2005; Dinosaur.about 2010). Several hypotheses have been suggested for the function of the crest, including that it was used as a snorkel. However, the most accepted explanation is that it served as a 'resonating chamber' - creating a loud bugling noise that was probably used for communication among these social animals (Dinosaur.about 2010).

Page by Matt Medlin
Hadrosaur: Parasaurolophus cyrtocistatus skeleton. Photo From: Wikipedia.

Wikipedia. 2010. Hadrosaurid. Wikipedia. Accessed April 8, 2010.

Strauss B. 2010. Hadrosaurs: The Duck-Billed Dinosaurs. Dinosaurus.about.com. Accessed April 8, 2010.

Waggoner B. 1995. Introduction to the Hadrosaurs. University of California Museum of Paleontology. Accessed April 8, 2010. .