Fun Anatosaurus Facts For Kids

Anatosaurus, that means 'duck lizard', got its name after its special beak. The mouth of this dinosaur resembled a duck's beak. These lizards were pretty large in size, measuring 30–40 ft (9–12 m) in length and 4 ton (3629 kg) in weight. They had a characteristic flat skull with many teeth. These dinosaurs were herbivores and thus ate plants and seeds. The remains of the species of these dinosaurs have been found in present-day North America.

How do you pronounce 'Anatosaurus'?

Anatosaurus is pronounced as 'Ana-tao-sau-rus'.

What type of dinosaur was an Anatosaurus?

Anatosaurus was a hadrosaurus that belonged to the class of Dinosauria. Dinosaurs of the Hadrosauridae family were also known as duck-billed dinosaurs.

In which geological period did the Anatosaurus roam the Earth?

Fossil remains and other evidence suggest that these dinosaurs roamed on the Earth nearly 73-65 million years ago, and thus they lived in the Cretaceous period, especially in the Campanian stage.

When did the Anatosaurus become Extinct?

Although assumptions can be made based on fossils, it is currently unknown when these dinosaurs became Extinct.

Where did Anatosaurus live?

Fossils of this dinosaur have been found in bone bed locations site, especially in North America; thus, we can assume that the Anatosaurus resided in present-day North America.

What was the Anatosaurus' habitat?

Animals of this genus lived around 73-65 million years ago when the climatic conditions of the Earth were hot and humid. This meant there was an abundance of plant life with dense growth in the tropical regions and huge extensive grasslands in the temperate regions.

Who did the Anatosaurus live with?

Anatosaurus was a highly social animal and thus preferred to live in huge groups. Some bone bed locations site in North America suggested that individuals of this genus stayed together as a gigantic group.

How long did an Anatosaurus live?

After analyzing the heavily built size of these dinosaurs, it is said that these herbivores had an average lifespan.

How did they reproduce?

Like all other reptiles, Anatosaurus dinosaur was born from eggs.

What did the Anatosaurus look like?

They were heavily built. Species of this genus are thought to be some of the largest hadrosaurid species. Often known as the duck lizard, they had a bulky body, a duck-like beak, and a long tail. Species of this genus also had a characteristic flat skull.

How many bones did an Anatosaurus have?

Owing to very limited information, it is unknown how many bones Anatosaurus dinosaur had. The full skeleton of Anatosaurus is yet to be found and excavated, and thus the exact count of the total number of bones of these dinosaurs is currently unknown.

How did they communicate?

The exact method by which the Anatosaurus dinosaur communicated with one another is unknown. However, researchers and scientists have concluded that these dinosaurs communicated amongst themselves using body movements, behavior, and vocal sounds.

How big was the Anatosaurus?

Anatosaurus had a length of 30–40 ft (9–12 m).

How fast could an Anatosaurus move?

Research has yielded that Anatosaurus were quite fast.

How much did an Anatosaurus weigh?

Anatosaurus had a weight of around 4 ton (3629 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no specified names that are used to differentiate the males and females of these ancient dinosaurs. They were simply known as male Anatosaurus and female Anatosaurus.

What would you call a baby Anatosaurus?

All dinosaur babies hatch from eggs, and thus they are known as hatchlings. Therefore in the case of an Anatosaurus, the same can be said. A baby Anatosaurus is known as an Anatosaurus hatchling.

How aggressive were they?

As they were herbivores and fed on plants and seeds, it can be assumed that the species of this genus were not very aggressive by nature, although they may have defended themselves if needed.

Did You Know…

Researchers and scientists believe that this dinosaur had more than 2000 teeth. The flat skull showed rows of blunt teeth. Once teeth got destroyed, they got replaced with a fresh set of teeth.

Again, it is not likely that they spit venom, while their physical features don't suggest any neck frills.

They perhaps used their claws and long tails in defense.

Anatosaurus is synonymous with Edmontosaurus.