an herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous Period, 71-65 million years ago

Description

One of the larger of the plant-eating dinosaurs, this species stood up to 15 feet tall, was up to 40 feet long, and weighed up to 7,000 pounds. Its laterally-flattened nasal structure puts it in the "duck-billed" family of dinosaurs, and its skeletal structure suggests that it could easily walk on all four legs and could likely outrun most predators of its day.

Distribution and Habitat

Fossils of this species have been found across western North America, with concentrations found in Alberta, Canada, and eastern Wyoming, in regions that were coasts and coastal plains during the Cretaceous Period.

Fossil History

The type specimen of Edmontosaurus annectens was first identified as a separate species by Othniel Marsh, who called it Claosaurus annectus, in 1892. The first specimen to be called Edmontosaurus was found in southern Alberta, and so named because it was found in the Edmonton Fossil Beds.

Scientific Classification

phylum Chordata
subphylum Vertebrata
class Archosauria
order
suborder
infraorder
family Hadrosauridae

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