Duckbills

Lambeosaurus, a crested duckbilled dinosaur found in Alberta.

Duckbilled dinosaurs, or hadrosaurs, are the most common type of dinosaurs found in Alberta. No other area has such a diversity of forms.

All hadrosaurs had flattened, duck-like snouts. Many had distinctive head crests. They ate plants and probably spent most of their time on their hind legs. Most weighed about as much as an elephant, although a few were larger.

Some hadrosaurs had more than 1200 teeth packed together along the sides of their mouths. Banks of closely-packed teeth enabled them to chop tough plant material into fine, easily-digested pieces.

Skin impressions of many duckbilled dinosaurs have been found in the sediments of Dinosaur Provincial Park. Hadrosaur skin was covered by small bumps, or tubercles. Some were the size of nail heads, others were larger than quarters.

Hadrosaurs' hands were enclosed in a mitt of pebbled skin, a development that may have helped the dinosaurs paddle through Late Cretaceous swamps and rivers. The fingers lacked claws and clearly belonged to a plant-eater.

Dinosaurs laid eggs. Their eggs, unlike those of other reptiles, had brittle, textured shells, more akin to the eggs of modern birds such as emus.

Some dinosaurs laid eggs about the size of pineapples, but hadrosaur eggs were only slightly larger than lemons.

Duckbills, Crested Heads

Three varieties of lambeosaurus, clockwise from bottom left: a juvenile, a mature female, and a mature male.

Fossil duckbilled dinosaurs are often identified by their crests. Living hadrosaurs may have used the crests for identification too. Males and females had crests of different sizes, while the crests were undeveloped in juveniles.

Duckbills, Flat Heads

Brachylophosaurus, a typical flat headed duckbill dinosaur.

Duckbilled dinosaurs have been grouped into two sub-families on the basis of features in the skull and skeleton. Some had crests, but others, like Gryposaurus and Brachylophosaurus had flattened heads.

The hadrosaurs on display in the Museum include:

• Anatotitan
• Brachylophosaurus
• Corythosaurus
• Edmontosaurus
• Gryposaurus
• Hypacrosaurus
• Kritosaurus
• Lambeosaurus
• Maiasaur
• Parasaurolophus
• Prosaurolophus

This document was prepared by Wayne Hortensius, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the Royal Tyrrell Museum Cooperating Society. All information © 1995 Royal Tyrrell Museum. All Rights Reserved.
Updated: April 8, 1995

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