Fun Aralosaurus Facts For Kids

Aralosaurus tuberiferus is an extinct genus of hadrosaurid ornithopods. They are estimated to have walked the world during the Upper Santonian and Lower Campanian ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch. The fossil site of these dinosaurs suggests that they inhabited the region northeast of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, Asia.

In 1968, Soviet paleontologist Anatoly Konstantinovich Rozhdestvensky described and named it based on where it was found and the specific name 'tuberiferus', which means bearing a tuber, is because of the sharp, bony projection on the nasal bones, in front of the orbit. These nasal features were thought to be similar to those of the Kritosaurus, which is why the A. tuberiferus was placed as a Hadrosaurinae clade. However, in 2004 a reexamination dinosaur was known to have similar characteristics to Lambeosaurinae dinosaurs.

Now, new evidence collected from the skull has confirmed that this herbivorous genus was one the most basal Lambeosaurinae, closely related to Canardia. This comparison holds true especially because of the distinctive small, hollow structure placed in front of the orbits, such that they communicated with the respiratory tract.

If dinosaurs and their mysteries keep encouraging you to want to know more, take a look at the wide-headed Mercuriceratops and the feathery Arkansaurus.

How do you pronounce 'Aralosaurus'?

The word 'Aralosaurus' is pronounced 'Ah-ral-o-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was an Aralosaurus?

This prehistoric dinosaur lizard was described to be a Hadrosaurid, belonging to the class of Hadrosauridae.

In which geological period did the Aralosaurus roam the earth?

The Aralosaurus Tuberiferus roamed the earth during the Upper Santonian and Lower Campanian ages of the Late Cretaceous period.

When did the Aralosaurus become extinct?

These Hadrosaurid dinosaurs went extinct approximately 86.6 million years ago.

Where did Aralosaurus live?

The Aralosaurus lived in and gets its name from where it was discovered, which is the region near the Shakh-Shakh locality, which was part of the USSR earlier, northeast of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, Asia. During the Late Cretaceous period, these dinosaurs were found along the shores of the ancient Turgai Sea, which was noted for connecting the Tethys Sea to the Arctic Ocean. In addition, scientists did explore the idea that the descendants of these dinosaurs, Canardia, inhabited the westernmost island in the archipelago of Europe during the Late Cretaceous period. This migration of the species was found due to the numerous fossils of lambeosaurines in Spain from the lower levels of the Maastrichtian age. Based on research, it is speculated that this migration may have taken place over some stages, which meant the dinosaurs would travel to western Asia as well as the eastern European archipelago and use temporary terrestrial area links to get there.

What was Aralosaurus' habitat?

The Aralosaurus lived in the tropical and subtropical area of what is now Asia, their fossil discovery site suggests that they may have lived among semi-montane terrain, estuarine area, or floodplains, along the banks of water bodies. Some areas of the coast in western Asia received upwelling conditions based on the strong winds of the time, which resulted in prominent aridification which created a site of inorganic activity. Based on these climatic conditions, the angiosperm flora may have changed to broad- and narrow-leaved plants of the Ulmaceae family. While angiosperms made up 75% of the plants present here at the time, the rest were rare cycads and ginkgos, and conifers.

Who did Aralosaurus live with?

Although the exact social behavior and lifestyle of these dinosaurs are unknown, several speculations can be derived from the general habits of the Hadrosauridae family. This dinosaur may have lived in herds and among several types of wide-ranging fauna including fish, mammals, turtles, other dinosaurs, and birds.

How long did an Aralosaurus live?

The exact lifespan of these animals has not been made available through the existing research data.

How did they reproduce?

Even though not much is explained about the reproduction system from the collected remains of these dinosaurs, we can still get an approximate idea of how they mated from the general features of breeding among most hadrosaurs. Firstly, they were oviparous and the eggs were fertilized inside the female body. Some level of sexual dimorphism and the presence of the crest in some species could mean that they used visual display when attracting a mate. Sufficient information is known about the hadrosaur reproduction from the discovery of juvenile footprints, eggshells along with nesting material, as well as their nesting site. Their eggshells were said to have had a pebbled outer texture. It has been confirmed that these dinosaurs may have nested in lowlands and uplands. The available remains do not confirm why they would choose or search for a specific nesting site, but their location and structure suggest that they would account for food, social behavior, competition, and soil or environmental conditions that may have affected their decision-making. In addition, many collected fossils of small juveniles displayed vertebral centra, dentaries, and limb and feet bones. It is also speculated that parental care was common among hadrosaurids because they raised their young in herds to prevent predation and also fed them until they could fend for themselves.

What did Aralosaurus look like?

The Aralosaurus fossil has displayed several features that look similar to other hadrosaurs, especially the eyes and the overall body structure. The typical low hadrosaur bulge-like projection was present in front of their eyes as well. These Late Cretaceous animals were known to inflate this organ to create a loud, bellowing noise, usually to keep predators away or search for a mate. Their large skull consisted of a wide, beak-shaped mouth without teeth. Their nasal bone has a small projection that extended to its posterior end, above the orbits and another bony structure was found to have been connected to the respiratory tract from in front of the orbits.

How many bones did an Aralosaurus have?

The Aralosaurus was described from just a fragment of the posterior half of the skull as well as some post-cranial elements. The skull lacked the whole mandible and snout, whereas some teeth were found isolated from the jaw bone. There were several fragments of post-cranial bones including the radius, fibula, tibia, radius, astragalus, femur. and metatarsals. During the research, it was noted that only one metatarsal and a humerus were the complete known structures.

How did they communicate?

No evidence has been found that would provide the complete features of the communication or social patterns of this large dinosaur. However, herd mentality was observed among many hadrosaurids, suggesting that they were quite social and that they may have used some vocal or visual display to find the selected individuals and keep them together.

How big was the Aralosaurus?

This dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous period would grow up to the size of an elephant. It was first described to be 19 ft (6 m) long but later discovered that it could grow up to 29 ft (9 m).

How fast could an Aralosaurus move?

Hadrosaurids were theorized to have moved one of three different ways and the speeds varied accordingly from the features of their limbs. Hopping along like a kangaroo would enable them to go at a rather quick speed of 38 mph (61 kph) while running on all fours would be 33.5 mph (54 kph), and on their hind legs, 31 mph (50 kph).

How much did an Aralosaurus weigh?

The Aralosaurus size was quite massive and it weighed around 11,000 lb (5000 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

This genus from the order of Ornithischia does not have separate names.

What would you call a baby Aralosaurus?

These babies would be called juveniles.

What did they eat?

The Aralosaurus, belonging to the Hadrosauridae family was a herbivore. It would have eaten twigs, leaves, and flowers. It was also speculated to have eaten soft water plants due to the lack of their front teeth for biting.

How aggressive were they?

Usually, the members of the Ornithischia order are not very aggressive in nature unless triggered.

Did you know...

This dinosaur was thought to have traveled by one of three methods - hopping, on all fours, and on its hind legs!

How did Aralosaurus get its name?

The Late Creactceos Aralosaurus, which is pronounced as 'Ah-ral-o-sore-us' was named after the Aral Sea, near which it was discovered. The epithet 'tuberiferus', which means to bear a tuber, was assigned because of their projecting nasal bone structure.

Who discovered Aralosaurus?

Although the discoverer of the available specimen found in 1957 is unknown, it was described and named in 1968 by Anatoly Konstantinovich Rozhdestvensky, a Soviet paleontologist.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Pleurocoelus facts and Stenonychosaurus facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Aralosaurus coloring pages.