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Bactrosaurus

Dinosaur profile

Bactrosaurus

HerbivoreLate CretaceousEuornithopod

Pronunciation

Bak-tro-sore-us

Meaning

Club lizard

Type

Euornithopod

Length

6 meters long

Period

Late Cretaceous

Years

84-71 million years ago

Location

China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia

Diet

Herbivore

About Bactrosaurus

Bactrosaurus is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 72-66 million years ago. It was a large, herbivorous dinosaur, with an estimated length of about 49-66 feet and a weight of about 10-15 tons. Bactrosaurus had a long, slender neck and a small head with a beak and a battery of cheek teeth for grinding up plants. It also had a distinctive, bony crest on its head, which was used for display or for making vocalizations. Its body was probably covered in a layer of tough, scaly skin.

Bactrosaurus was discovered in China in the 1920s, and was named by paleontologists in 1922. It is considered a member of the hadrosaurid group of dinosaurs, which also includes species such as Edmontosaurus and Maiasaura. Bactrosaurus is known from a number of well-preserved fossil specimens, including several partial skeletons and skulls, which have helped paleontologists learn more about the anatomy and behavior of this dinosaur. It is thought to be closely related to other hadrosaurids such as Prosaurolophus and Saurolophus.

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