Dino card No. 0771 of 2,027

Hadrosaurus

Say it: had-roh-SORE-us

Name means: “bulky lizard”1

Ate: PlantsDuck-billsLate Cretaceous

Hadrosaurus was a big, plant-eating dinosaur that lived near the sea in what is now New Jersey. It had a beak like a duck and strong teeth to chew tough plants. It was one of the first dinosaur skeletons ever put on display for people to see!1

Lived

86 to 66 million years ago6

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

New Jersey, USA; also Alberta, Canada and Kazakhstan6 1

Food

Plants1

Length

7 to 8 m1

Weight

2 tonnes to 4 tonnes1

Height

4 m2

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 2.5 cars

as long as 8 dogs nose to tailas long as 44 bananas end to endas heavy as 130 big dogsas heavy as 800 watermelonsas tall as 2 doors stacked up

How big was Hadrosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Hadrosaurus was the first dinosaur in North America known from more than just a few teeth.1

Its skeleton was the first dinosaur skeleton ever mounted for display, in 1868.1

Hadrosaurus became the official state dinosaur of New Jersey in 1991.1

The only known skeleton of Hadrosaurus was found in marine sediments, meaning the dinosaur's body was washed out to sea by a river.1

Hadrosaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 83.6 to 77.9 million years ago.1

The name Hadrosaurus means 'bulky lizard', but it was also a playful reference to Haddonfield, New Jersey, where it was found.1

AI-made picture of Hadrosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Hadrosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Hadrosaurus

?How big was Hadrosaurus?

Hadrosaurus was about 7 to 8 metres (23 to 26 feet) long and weighed 2 to 4 tonnes (2.2 to 4.4 short tons).1

?What did Hadrosaurus eat?

Hadrosaurus was a plant eater. It used its beak to crop leaves and twigs, and its many teeth to chew tough plants.3

?When did Hadrosaurus live?

Hadrosaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 83.6 to 77.9 million years ago.1

?Where was Hadrosaurus found?

Hadrosaurus was found in a marl pit in Haddonfield, New Jersey, in 1858.1

?Why is Hadrosaurus famous?

Hadrosaurus was the first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton found in North America and the first dinosaur skeleton ever mounted for display, in 1868.1 4

?Was Hadrosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, Hadrosaurus was a dinosaur. It was a duck-billed dinosaur, a type of ornithopod.1

?Could Hadrosaurus swim?

Scientists once thought Hadrosaurus might swim, but now they agree it lived on land. Its body was washed out to sea after death.4 1

?Why is Hadrosaurus the state dinosaur of New Jersey?

Hadrosaurus became the official state dinosaur of New Jersey in 1991, thanks to a teacher and her fourth-grade students.1 5

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Myth buster

Myth: Hadrosaurus is a 'doubtful' name that scientists don't use anymore.

Truth: Some scientists once considered Hadrosaurus a nomen dubium because the skeleton lacks a skull, but it is still recognized as a valid genus and the type genus of the family Hadrosauridae.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Hadrosaurus
Named by: Leidy 18586
Group: Duck-bills
Family / clade: Hadrosauridae6
Classification: Ornithischia > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia > Hadrosauridae6
Age of the rocks: 86 to 66 million years (Santonian / Maastrichtian)6
Rock formations: Marshalltown, Woodbury, Navesink6
Countries: USA, Canada, Kazakhstan6
Fossil records: 9 in the Paleobiology Database6
Discovery: In 1838, John Estaugh Hopkins dug up large bones in a marl pit in Haddonfield, New Jersey. In 1858, William Parker Foulke excavated the rest of the skeleton, and paleontologist Joseph Leidy named it Hadrosaurus foulkii that same year.1
Still debated: Scientists are still not sure exactly how Hadrosaurus is related to other duck-billed dinosaurs, because the only skeleton is missing most of its skull.1

Where the facts come from

Hadrosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
science-resources.co.uk - Dinosaurs: Hadrosaurus (science-resources.co.uk)
NJDEP| NJ Geological Survey | Hadrosaurus foulkii (dep.nj.gov)
The Story of New Jersey’s State Fossil: Hadrosaurus foulkii (geologymuseum.rutgers.edu)
New Jersey State Dinosaur: Hadrosaurus Foulkii - New Jersey State Symbols - Research Guides at New Jersey State Library (libguides.njstatelib.org)
Hadrosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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