Aralosaurus

Taxobox|
name = "Aralosaurus"
fossil_range=Late Cretaceous
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
superordo = Dinosauria
ordo = Ornithischia
familia = Hadrosauridae
subfamilia = Hadrosaurinae
genus = "Aralosaurus"
species = "A. tuberiferus"
binomial = "Aralosaurus tuberiferus"
binomial_authority = Rozhdestvensky, 1968

"Aralosaurus" (ar-ahl-o-SORE-us) meaning "Aral Sea lizard", because it was found in the Aral Sea when it began to shrink noticeablyFact|date=July 2008 (Greek "sauros" = lizard) was a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur which lived during the Late Cretaceous of what is now Kazakhstan. "Aralosaurus" was characterized by a small, bony peak on its nose, much like its relatives "Maiasaura" and "Gryposaurus"."Aralosaurus." In: Dodson, Peter & Britt, Brooks & Carpenter, Kenneth & Forster, Catherine A. & Gillette, David D. & Norell, Mark A. & Olshevsky, George & Parrish, J. Michael & Weishampel, David B. "The Age of Dinosaurs". Publications International, LTD. p. 126. ISBN 0-7853-0443-6.] Some paleontologists have posited that "Aralosaurus" was actually a lambeosaurine.Fact|date=July 2008

"Aralosaurus" was a herbivore that lived in the late Cretaceous period, around 95 to 80 million years ago, and was capable of both bipedal and quadrupedal movement.Fact|date=July 2008 Egg clusters show that "Aralosaurus" lived in herds and had locations for laying eggs where they would be safe.Fact|date=July 2008 Several relatives, such as "Jaxartosaurus" have also been found in the surrounding area where "Aralosaurus" was found.

Description

"Aralosaurus" was about the size of an elephant, being up to 9 m long, but was over 5,000 kilograms in weight.Fact|date=July 2008 Although very little is known about "Aralosaurus" (only one near complete skull has been found); it was identified by a beak with nearly 1,000 small teeth in 30 rows. These teeth were used for breaking up plant matter by chewing, a feature common in herbivorous dinosaurs, but unusual for reptiles.The back of an "Aralosaurus" skull was wide, a feature suggestive of large jaw muscles used to power its chewing apparatus.

The nasal peak before the eyes was common to most hadrosaurs. This bump may have also been used as a weapon in duels between males by head butting into one another, much like modern day animals such as rams and goats. It had a thick tail, bulky body and powerful hind legs, all also common with other hadrosaurs. Its back legs would have undoubtedly proved useful when running from predators.Fact|date=July 2008

References