Maiasaura was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Its name literally means
"good mother lizard".
Maiasaura nests have been found that contained up to 25 eggs that are the
size of grapefruits. This type of dinosaur was definitely communal. A huge group
of about 10,000 Maiasaura fossils (buried in volcanic ash) were found in
Montana.
Fossils of Maiasauras have been discovered next to their young, eggs, and
nests. This indicates that Maiasauras nurtured their offspring.
Nests of Maiasauras have been found in a consistant pattern of being 25-30
feet apart, which is close to the size of an adult Maiasaura. A group of over 30
Maiasaura nests was found in Montana. It covered 2.5 acres.
Maiasaura was an herbivore. It could walk on all fours or upright. There was
a small crest in front of the eyes. The tail was long and stiff. Maiasaura's
hind legs were much shorter than its front ones. Maiasaura had a wide bill that
was toothless. However, it had many cheek teeth. The total number of teeth was
about 2000. Hard enamel was found on the outer surface of the upper teeth and
the inner surface of the lower ones. Each hand had four fingers. The dimensions
of Maiasaura are:

length: 30 feet (9 m.)
height: 6-8 (2-2.5 m.)
weight: 3-4 tons

A newly hatched Maiasaura was about 1 foot (30 cm.) long. Nests were 6-7
feet (1.8-2 m.) in diameter. The taxonomy of Maiasaura is:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Archosauria
Order: Ornithischia
Suborder: Ornithopoda
Superfamily: Hadrosauroidea
Family: Hadrosauridae
Subfamily: Hadrosaurinae
Genus: Maiasaura
Species: Maiasaura peeblesorum




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