Duck-Billed Dinosaurs
The first duck-billed dinosaurs were discovered at the beginning of the 19th century. The remains of the first duck-billed dinosaur were found in New Jersey in the United States. This dinosaur was believed to have been around 30 feet (ca. 9 m) long, weighing a whopping 2 tons. This dinosaur’s body was long and low to the ground, with a proportionately small head. Its most distinctive feature, of course, was its bill, which was shaped like a large duck beak.
Duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the hadrosaur family, a group of animals often called ‘duck-billed dinosaurs’ or ‘duck-billed reptiles.’ Hadrosaurs are some of the largest land animals in the known world.
Herbivores
Duck-billed dinosaurs were herbivorous, meaning they exclusively ate plant materials. Their diet is believed to have been made up primarily of a mixture of twigs and stems. To cope with their plant-heavy diet, duck-billed dinosaurs had specially designed teeth. They had between 45 and 60 teeth per row in their mouths, and some dinosaurs had six rows! These types of dinosaurs also didn’t have permanent teeth. Unlike humans, who only get one set of adult teeth to last a lifetime, duck-billed dinosaurs’ teeth are in a constant state of renewal, with the old ones continually getting replaced with new ones.
What did they look like?
Studies have shown that duck-billed dinosaurs are likely to have walked on their two hind legs when they were young and moved onto all fours when they got older. To cope with this change, the legs of these dinosaurs would grow much stronger as they aged to cope with the weight of their full bodies. But, on the other hand, their hind legs got smaller as they got older, as they no longer bear the dinosaur’s full weight.
List of duck-billed dinosaurs
- Anatotitan
The Anatotitan is believed to have existed right until the extinction of the dinosaurs. It had a long snout similar to that of a horse. Its bill was void of any teeth, as all of its teeth were located in rows much further back in its mouth and cheeks.
Discovered: 1908
Length: 10 meters
Weight: 3500 kg
- Bactrosaurus
The Bactrosaurus existed during the Middle Cretaceous Period around 95 million years ago. A feature that it shared with many other duck-billed dinosaurs, including the Anatotitan, was the toothless bill at the front of its mouth. All of its teeth, then, were located in the back of its mouth in the cheek area. Interestingly, the Bactrosaurus’ teeth were self-sharpening, which made it easy for them to tear through tough plant materials. In addition, this dinosaur had spine-like projections that jutted out along its back and tail. These projections gave the Bactrosaurus its name, ‘Club-Spined Lizard.’
Discovered: 1931
Length: 6 meters
Weight: 1600 kg
- Corythosaurus
The Corythosaurus existed about 77 to 75 million years ago during the Upper Cretaceous Period. Like other hadrosaurs, the Corythosaurus had a toothless bill at the front of its mouth and sharp teeth in the back. However, one of the most prominent features of this dinosaur was its helmet-like head. In addition, there was a crest on its head that it is believed to have used to make a loud horn noise by pushing air from its nostrils through the crest.
Discovered: 1912
Length: 10 meters
Weight: 4000 kg
- Edmontosaurus
Remains of the Edmontosaurus were discovered in 1917 across various parts of Western North America. From these remains, scientists have deduced that these dinosaurs migrated according to the seasons. The Edmontosaurus had the same mouth construction as other hadrosaurs. Interestingly, the Edmontosaurus’ skull shows that it may have had large inflatable flaps of skin near its nose, which it could have used to attract a mate or create a loud, honking sound.
Discovered: 1917
Length: 14 meters
Weight: 3600 kg
- Gryposaurus
The Gryposaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous in North America, around 80 to 75 million years ago. The remains that have been found show that this dinosaur had small polygon-shaped scales all over its body. It also had a large bump on the front end of its nose, which is how it got its name.
Discovered: 1914
Length: 9 meters
Weight: 3000 kilograms
- Hadrosaurus
The Hadrosaurus was first discovered in 1838, and very little is known about it. However, we understand that the Hadrosaurus is likely not to have had a crest, like many other duck-billed dinosaurs.
Discovered: 1838
Length: 9 meters
Weight: 3000 kilograms
- Hypacrosaurus
The Hypacrosaurus was alive during the Late Cretaceous Period and had many features common among duck-billed dinosaurs. For instance, it had the standard toothless bill at the front of its mouth, with rows of self-sharpening teeth in the back cheek area. These teeth were able to self-sharpen as the top set of teeth were positioned so that they would grind against the bottom set.
One of the most prominent features of the Hypacrosaurus was its long, stiff tail. This tail is believed to have been used to balance the animal as it ran quickly from side to side to avoid predators. This dinosaur also had super big eyes compared to many other hadrosaurs, which it used to detect predators.
Discovered: 1913
Length: 9 meters
Weight: 3000 kilograms
- Lambeosaurus
The Lambeosaurus was a huge hadrosaur that existed during the Late Cretaceous period of North America. This dinosaur was a massive 45 feet (ca. 14 m) in length, making it one of the biggest hadrosaurs. In addition, this dinosaur had a prominent crest on its head that resembled a protruding axe.
Discovered: 1914
Length: 15 meters
Weight: 6000 kilograms
- Maiasaura
The Maiasaura existed around 75 million years ago during the Upper Cretaceous Period. This type of dinosaur is believed to have stayed in nesting herds, much like birds do today. In terms of their appearance, the Maiasaura had a long, narrow snout, much like horses have today. They also had a small crest above each eye but did not have the crest on their head that many other hadrosaurs had.
Discovered: 1978
Length: 9 meters
Weight: 4000 kilograms
- Parasaurolophus
The Parasaurolophus was alive during the Late Cretaceous Period, around 76 to 73 million years ago. As a result, it shared many of the common physical features of hadrosaurs, such as its toothless bill, rows of teeth in its cheeks, strong rear legs, and a prominent head crest.
Discovered: 1922
Length: 12 meters
Weight: 3000 kilograms
- Prosaurolophus
The Prosaurolophus was discovered in 1912 and is believed to have lived during the Late Cretaceous Period across North America. This duck-billed dinosaur was a medium-sized hadrosaur that walked bipedally (on its hind legs), leaving its front legs available for self-defense and to help it feed. Studies have shown that the Prosaurolophus could run on all fours when necessary, but it chose not to for most of the time. In addition, unlike many hadrosaurs, the Prosaurolophus did not have a head crest but had a small crest above its eyes.
Discovered: 1912
Length: 9 meters
Weight: 3000 kilograms
- Protohadros
The Protohadros lived around 95 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. It was an extremely fruitful time on Earth, with warm temperatures and lots of vegetation available. This type of duck-billed dinosaur had the standard toothless bill and is believed to have had rows of thousands of tiny teeth in its cheeks. These teeth are thought to have been used for crushing up plant matter. This hadrosaur is super important, as scientists believe it may be the ancestor of all other duck-billed dinosaurs.
Discovered: 1994
Length: 6 meters
Weight: 1000 kilograms
- Saurolophus
The Saurolophus existed around 70 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period in Asia and North America. This dinosaur was a medium size and had the standard head crest that many hadrosaurs possessed.
Discovered: 1911
Length: 9 meters
Weight: 2000 kilograms
- Shantungosaurus
The Shantungosaurus lived around 80 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous Period in Asia. The Shantungosaurus is believed to have been the largest of the duck-billed dinosaurs, weighing an incredible 5000 kg. Like many other hadrosaurs, the Shantungosaurus had a long, tapering tail that it would have used for balance and as a weapon. It also had the same mouth structure, with a toothless bill at the front and rows of self-sharpening teeth in the cheek area.
Discovered: 1973
Length: 15 meters
Weight: 5000 kilograms
